A DJS Journey

What does diversity mean to you? For the past two weeks, a few of my peers and I have asked students who have passed by the dCenter to answer this question. This dCenter project was to figure out what the student population, outside of our dCenter folks, thought about (if they did) diversity. This interactive, write on a window project, has been an eye-opening experience. As woman of color, I stood outside of the dCenter with markers and asked random individuals who walked by to answer this quick question. First of all, I felt a bit uncomfortable asking random students to do this quick task. Second, I was asking a crowd of white individuals what they thought diversity meant to them. Lastly, it never occurred to me how hard of a question I was asking until I watched students stand in front of the window, with marker in hand, for what seemed like a very long minute as they formulated their thoughts into a sentence or word... or realized that this question made some students uncomfor...

The idea I’m about to discuss is better experienced than explained, so I will begin with the experience first before I jump into the nitty-gritty. Describe the color red to someone the next time you get a chance. You could try and describe what your bedroom looks like back home. Describe anything you like, it really doesn’t make a difference to the point I’m about to make. Even if you perfectly painted the picture in your head, down to the very last detail, the person who is on the receiving end of your description will never be able to see the picture in your head. We are all effectively blind to your thoughts. These situations are brought about by the qualia within human language. .....What? Qualia, singular quale, are situations or identities that cannot be described because we each experience sensations differently. Pictured from left to right: Beau Smith, Kimberly Roman, Nellie Moran, and Andrew Morris.  Yeah yeah, ok, but what about things I don’t see, what ...

You know what really grinds my gears? (Yes, I have been known to watch Family Guy #nojudging).  White guys who take up a lot of space.  The guy who is so unaware of his size, gender, race, class and who tries to intrude on my physical space.  The guy who tries to hug me constantly, even though I have told him numerous times that, you know what, hugging, really ain’t my thing.  That one dude who thinks it’s funny when I ask him politely at first, but then with more force, to back the F-UP!  This man who believes that the more he tries to come into my personal space, eventually, I will let him in.  He is going to take it, by force, and nothing, I mean nothing, is going to stop him from trying. Dude, White guy, MAN!  Please.  This isn’t funny.  Your continual disregard for my personal space, my comfort, my safety, my wishes, and adamant rejection of your advances are not funny.  Are disrespectful.  Are wack as hell.  Are uncomfo...

Last weekend I attend the ACPA Institute for Social Justice: Envisioning Vulnerability in Social Justice Education. The institute was packed with opportunities to participate in dialogue with those with similar salient identities and hear from awesome speakers who shared their social justice journeys, research, and perspectives about vulnerability. While at the institute my understanding of vulnerability became twisted and complex – particularly as a white female social justice educator. Here is the tension that I am currently sitting with: The need to lean into the discomfort of the work… Brene Brown’s TedTalk The Power of Vulnerability has been viewed by over 17,000 people and has found its way onto college campuses through leadership trainings and helping frame community development models and was a framework for ACPA ISJ. Brene suggests vulnerability is necessary and fundamental to building human connectedness and the ability to empathize, belong, and love.  I...

A satire, not a documentary. A comedy, not a protest. Or is it? After hearing of this new, radical movie talking about our story as students of color, at a predominately White university, we, Black Student Union and the Diversity Center, decided we’d go see it together. This meant each paying our own way, but hopefully at the same time to discover the film, and then debrief. As interest grew the Diversity Center Director found a way to rent the theater so we could all go for free enabling us to open it to the entire campus community but with limited seats. As we ramped up to go see Dear White People in its opening weekend, we met some resistance on the PLU campus. The more advertisements went out, the more unsolicited and unchallenged comments, opinions, and questions. such as: “That’s so racist!” “Why are they mad?” “Is this a protest.”“Oh, yeah, I heard about that documentary.” PLU Dear White People private screening Racism is a system of inequality based on race, so no it...