Students of color at ESU spoke about racism, their experiences on campus and how preventing racism shouldn’t fall only on them, but all students, in an open forum last Thursday in the Preston Family Room.
The discussion follows an incident last week that a black student faced, in which a professor read a poem that included a racial slur. The forum was intended to talk about the experiences of marginalized students and determine the best ways to support them, McReynolds said.
“We have too often left marginalized people outside of the conversation,” said Kayla Gilmore, junior political science major. “So what I would like to do is offer an opportunity for us to hear the experiences that marginalized people have had, to step away from the notion that these things don’t happen here.”
Two hours before this open forum, which was originally intended to be a discussion about recent proposals for line item decreases, Megan McReynolds, ASG president and junior sociology major, sent out an email informing campus that the last half of that meeting would now be reserved to have a conversation on diversity, equity and inclusion.
However, when the transition between topics was made, a majority of the students that were in attendance during the first half left.
“We can look around this room right now and there’s a lot of empty seats, but when I walked in, I couldn’t find somewhere to sit,” said Arriq Singleton, junior interdisciplinary studies. “And we said to everyone that was there, that walked out, we were like ‘Yo, we’re about to talk about what it means to be a person of color here on this campus, y’all going to stay and talk to us?’ and they looked us dead in the face and then they walked out. That’s not just something that happens here, that’s something that happens literally everywhere I go.”
Gilmore said that the proposed budget cuts affect everyone, including students of color, just like issues that marginalized students face affect everyone.
“There are students who are just as involved in music and theater, who are of color, who have to deal and grapple with not seeing themselves and now have to deal with budget cuts,” Gilmore said. “Imagine that load times ten. Not only do you not get to see yourself in plays put on, not only is it hard to have characters and roles set aside for you, but more often than not, when there are cuts it affects you the most, because for some of us, this is our only way out.”
During the forum, Gilmore also spoke of her experience at ESU, specifically her freshman year, when media dealing with police, black individuals and Ferguson started becoming prominent.
“I remember the conversations that followed in my classroom, being asked to speak for all black people, speak to ‘why are black people so destructive,’ ‘why can’t they just ‘follow instructions,’ ‘why can’t they respect police,’ nine times out of ten, I’m the only black person in the classroom,” Gilmore said. “I’m still learning myself, so I can hardly speak for every person who looks like me.”
Singleton shared his own experiences about being asked to stand for all black people.
“The burden shouldn’t have to be on the black students everytime we talk about slavery,” Singleton said. “Everytime we talk about anything black, we have to speak up and become the token person that has to resist the thing that’s happening to them. The burden should also be on everyone else in the room to make sure that that kind of thing doesn’t happen and that black people don’t always have to take care of themselves, because we’re always made to take care of you all.”
Singleton also spoke about how there are irresolvable issues, such as how academic freedom and the ability of black students to express thought is diminished just by how they are situated and seen within in a classroom.
“A great example is that when going to debate tournaments, we’ve had multiple debate tournaments this year, where black students, where the cops have been called on black students who are expressing their ideas and sharing their research,” Singleton said. “We know that in itself is a microcosm for what can happen to us anytime we’re in class, anytime we’re in any particular space, we can be labeled and isolated as a threat and then set to be neutralized.”
When he is in class, Singleton said he has to make sure he’s careful about how he words everything he says and ensure that everyone takes it the way that he intends it.
“I know that when I’m sitting in class that the next thing that comes out of my mouth, I better make sure that I’m very careful about how I put it and how it lands and how everybody takes it and that is a reality that keeps the room spinning for me everywhere I go,” Singleton said.
Taylor Lee, a junior sociology major, shared a similar experience, speaking about instances where she can’t speak up in class as much as she wants to because she’s black. Before coming to the forum, Lee said she had just left a class where they were speaking about police brutality.
“I can’t speak up as much in my classes because I am black and if I go off, then I’m just black.” Lee said “I’m just a black person going off.”
Instances like these happen everyday, Lee said.
“I just left a class before this where we were speaking about police brutality and this student said that black people deserve to get shot,” Lee said. “He was pretty much saying that ‘If I were a cop, I would be scared too, because they were black.’”
According to Lee, being a bystander is much worse.
“Being on this campus, I’ve heard things happen all the time and I know that some of those people who speak this ignorant, stupid stuff are tied to everyone in here,” Lee said. “So if you don’t come to the events, if you don’t do any of that, if you hear it, even if you’re at your practices, your sororities, or any other club thing, just speak up on it. Being a bystander is saying that you agree to the nonsense.”
However, speaking up isn’t the only step, according to Gilmore. It’s important to engage in topics, learn about others and take part in putting an end to ignorance.
“It’s necessary for you to engage in topics that you are ignorant about, because simply saying that ‘I don’t know’ is not enough anymore,” Gilmore said. “Because your ignorance can cause harm, even if you don’t intend it to, because by not knowing, you feel uncomfortable when it comes to speaking up because you don’t know.”
It’s not her job, or the job of other marginalized students to educate people, Gilmore said. They’re students too and they have the same stress, problems and issues that others face, and can’t always be the one to explain. It has to be up to others to seek out information and stop ignorance, Gilmore said.
There are resources available for those who want to educate themselves, including events on campus, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, training, and books, as well as just interacting with those that are different from you, according to Gilmore.
“Effort is important,” Gilmore said. “We have an opportunity here, as students, to be better than what we have been.”
“If I have to carry this load, as a member of this community you have an obligation to carry it with me,” Gilmore said. “You have an obligation to show up and show out for me, because that’s what we have to do for you.
