Pope Paul VI is quoted as saying that “if you want peace, work for justice.” Many higher education institutions have made tremendous strides in addressing disparities in the area of race and class. There is, however, a long way to go.
Progress without equity is injustice. The tragic killing of Richard Collins III on the campus of the University of Maryland last month should cause colleges and universities around the country to pause and rethink their own campus culture.
Unfortunately, it often takes a crisis for institutions to engage in conversations around race and class. School leadership can lead the charge in being proactive about these issues and bringing these points to the center. If these difficult conversations can’t take place at our nation’s colleges and universities, then there is little hope for other areas of society.
Colleges that don’t address this issue head-on are likely to continue to just apply Band-Aids to deep wounds that don’t really address the root of the problems.
Interrupting the status quo will require a willingness to get uncomfortable. There is often an unwillingness to have real discussions on sensitive topics because there is a resistance to change in some quarters. There is a reluctance to have real action take place.
The consequences of not addressing the beliefs and issues that lie beneath the surface can be deadly. It is imperative for issues to be out into the open and addressed in a forthright manner. Many people are suffering, but remain silent because they don’t want to be labeled as difficult.
Columbia Professor Derald Sue has written extensively about microaggressions and stated that they can be intentional or unintentional. There are those brief interactions that communicate demeaning or hostile messages to members of marginalized groups. We may not even be aware that we are sending these subtle derogatory messages. There is an ever-present need to engage in a self-awareness learning process.
