Ferguson and Awareness

In December, on the the Friday before break, I sat in Agora after attending an ALES meeting. Beside me, two friends of mine started a conversation. The conversation was between Susan, a black student who had also just attended ALES, and Lilly, a white student who had not. They were talking about the phrase “people of color,” and Susan was quite passionate about the conversation. Offhandedly, Lilly said,“I wish I had a color.” It was a comment similar to those we heard at the microaggression assembly; Lilly didn’t mean anything by it, but Susan was offended. To Susan, the comment disregarded the challenges “having a color” provides—such as being stared at, having a difficulty getting a job and worrying about your family members being assaulted or profiled by the police. Susan tried to explain this to her but became increasingly frustrated as Lilly was not able to understand or did not listen to what Susan was trying to say. Lilly felt attacked, thinking she had not said anything wrong. Lilly soon left, leaving Susan upset and angry. Susan wanted to educate Lilly on the matter and show her what that comment felt like from a person of color’s perspective, but the issue was too personal for her to do so without getting angry with Lilly.

Education comes with the discussion of race and with having a diverse community in general. For example, for me to understand the issues of race relations in America, police brutality and the fear people of color face in this country, I need to listen to the experiences of those who face these issues and are directly affected by them.

But having these conversations and discussions about race puts a particular, unfair responsibility on black and brown students because while most students in many situations are happy or willing to share their experiences and help others understand, there are inherent problems that come with this peer-education dynamic.

First of all, students of color have to handle situations that call for a great deal of maturity. Race is complicated and emotional, and these situations require an understanding of race and patience that many people don’t understand or don’t want to understand. As Mr. Weatherspoon said in a December article entitled “Ferguson Sparks Mixed Reactions on Campus,” “[many people think that teachers] need more training in order to facilitate discussing difficult topics. Students probably need training as well.” Students, and even teachers and adults, are not always prepared to handle the complexities that come with talking about race. Responsibility falls on students of color to contribute to the discussion and share their experiences so that others understand the issue from the perspective of someone less privileged and often oppressed by the system. But this forces colored students to handle the complexity of race discussions with patience and calmness. It forces them to be the “bigger man,” so to speak, and have the maturity of an educator, even when they too have to encounter the complexity of talking about race.

Secondly, not only do these students find responsibility thrust on their shoulders, but the issues themselves are also particularly personal and emotional for many black students. Understandably, this make it more difficult for them to deal with these situations; black students have to educate people about a subject that is often deeply personal. For them, police brutality isn’t simply politics—it is also the daily reminder that they or a family member could be shot in the middle of their street, or even in their home, at almost anytime. Since race and police brutality greatly contribute to our discussions on campus, black students have to hold the burden of confronting the complexities that come with talking about race, while in addition the complexities of how it relates to them personally.

I am by no means saying that the discussion on campus should not be happening, or that there are not people on campus who are trying very hard to make the discussion as informed and constructive as possible. Those with privilege have a responsibility to listen to those who are so directly affected by the situations at hand, but also a responsibility to respect when someone does not wish to talk. I’m also not saying that the privileged student’s role in this discussion is only to listen, nor am I saying that the role of the white student is not a difficult one either. The difference is that white students can escape it if they want, while black students cannot. We need this discussion and we need it to continue, but we also need to make sure that it doesn’t become a discussion in which only one group of people on campus have to carry its burden, and that all students are fulfilling their responsibility of contribution.