Campus dialogue on privilege and oppression

On Wednesday, February 15, an informational meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the Faculty Staff Lounge regarding a new diversity initiative. Sponsored by the Student Senate Diversity Committee, Breaking Barriers is the name of a new program at Gustavus designed to create an open dialogue about race and oppression with a focus on white privilege.

Breaking Barriers will create bimonthly or weekly opportunities for students and faculty alike to engage in discussions pertaining to race and privilege in a safe and secure setting. In the past, numerous students have had the opportunity to attend the White Privilege Conference. As the conference is held in New Mexico this year, a significantly smaller number of students will be able to attend. Breaking Barriers is an initiative to bring an experience similar to that of the White Privilege Conference to campus.

“The Diversity Committee on Student Senate has been considering this type of program for a while now. We are all on board with the idea and are very excited about it. We are looking at Breaking Barriers to be part of the solution that dismantles white privilege in our community or at least make us more aware,” Elizabeth Coco, chair of the Student Senate Diversity Committee said. “White privilege as a topic is not about bashing whites, nor is it an apologetic conversation. It is merely a discussion of what the color of your skin means in this country and an acknowledgment of what race currently means.”

During the informational meeting, students will have the opportunity to learn more about the program and to sign up for discussion groups led by a facilitator that meet once a week for the duration of the rest of the academic year.

“Because this is a closed group discussion that involves a lot of building of trust and respect in order to talk about the subjects that will be brought up, everyone that signs up will be committed to their group and needs to be dedicated to attending,” Coco said.

Topics discussed may include questions ranging from what constitutes an American and who is an American to the significance of racial slurs and Halloween costumes portraying a certain ethnic group or race.

“It is a common belief that we are living in a post-racial society. Sadly, this is far from the truth as racism is still very much real and present. Living in a country where race dictates a lot of what happens and what people have and do not have, each individual has a responsibility as a decent human beings to be educated and informed,” Coco said.

For students who take part of Breaking Barriers, Coco advises they enter the discussions with an open mind and with honesty regarding the issues discussed. As for what students can expect, it is mostly what they make of it.

“I am looking forward to seeing how much I take away and learn from these discussions as well as others. It is important to be talking about white privilege because I believe it will at least make Gustavus student more aware of the issues concerning diversity such as race, gender, religion, sexuality and so on. Everyone should be informed of these types of issues,” Adwoa Afreh, a student who plans to be part of Breaking Barriers, said.

The Diversity Committee is leaving the structure and agenda for each group’s meeting up to the liberty of the facilitator with only the expectation that the conversation revolves around the topic of white privilege. Among the faculty and administration at Gustavus, twelve members were chosen by the committee to act as facilitators.

“I’m ready to help leverage my knowledge of race issues and white privilege to spur reflective and honest conversations. People have lots of questions they may be afraid to ask; I’d like to help get them past that as we seek answers together, Professor Martin Lang, who will be serving as one of the facilitators, said. “Honestly, I hope for nothing more than for students to keep returning to the conversations we have with an open mind and a generous spirit. For me, the mere act of sustaining an open and civil dialogue about racism and white privilege would be a powerful success as well as a necessary step on the progression toward positive change.”

As Breaking Barriers is intended to be a long term and ongoing program, the Diversity Committee hopes that it will continue to be a part of the campus agenda for years to come, as long as the conversation about white privilege is necessary.

“Breaking Barriers is not meant to be fun. It is intended to push you out of your comfort zone. If you want to at least attempt to gain an understanding of the relationship between race and privilege that sadly still exists, you should come. Being a part of this dialogue may just change the way you view the world around you,” Coco said.