黑料正能量

In their last Fall 2017 class together, the students in SOWK 360 鈥淩ace and Gender鈥� stood and linked arms, a living symbol of solidarity and connection after a semester of tough discussions within the national context of a charged political climate.

Professor had walked alongside them through a semester of difficult conversations about societal inequality, and their capstone projects, shared in that final week, displayed a nuanced activism in and among the campus community: a sampling of topics included聽 鈥淭he Role of Power in Social Instability,鈥� 鈥淏ird Cage Theory鈥� and 鈥淭he Fight Against Sexism with Title IX.鈥�

And they鈥檇 written personal statements of hope and belief.

鈥淪tudents take this class because they need to talk about the issues,鈥� said Pannell. 鈥淏ut along the way, they learn about the hearts and talents of each other 鈥� and about themselves.鈥�

Enlightening, equipping

Senior Emmanuel Kampanga said the course was one of the most enlightening he鈥檚 taken.

鈥淥pening up about social issues can be challenging,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut rapidly a safe space was created between the students in the class.鈥� Now 鈥� having studied the history of racism, gender inequality and social injustice in America 鈥� Kampanga said he is equipped 鈥渁dvocate for what I believe in using facts rather than emotions.鈥�

Sophomore Gabby McMillon, too, said that the class was formative.

鈥溾�楻ace and Gender鈥� has provided me with tools and a platform to promote change in my community,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned what it means to be an ally and advocate. Each of us has power, and we can use that power to create change.鈥�

Musician responds

Senior Maleke Jones鈥檚 group presented about bird cage theory, which uses the metaphor that individual wires 鈥� each a specific form of oppression 鈥� work together to make a cage that leaves 鈥渘o way for the bird to escape.鈥�

Jones was known on campus already for his music, and was inspired to weave his coursework about bird cage theory into his art, a song 鈥淐aged Bird.鈥� It represents 鈥渉ow minority groups feel. Black people do get held back just because of their skin color,鈥� he said.

鈥淢usic is universal,鈥� said Pannell 鈥� and was a non-threatening way for Jones to tell his story. 鈥淚t has such a rawness to it. It鈥檚 emotional,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you at all know him and care about him as a person, it will cause you to think, 鈥榃ow, that鈥檚 how racism affects him,鈥� and how you don鈥檛 want that to be the case.鈥�

The song, Jones said, is 鈥渘ot only a voice speaking on my behalf, it鈥檚 a voice that鈥檚 speaking for the voiceless. The people being oppressed can鈥檛 really speak out and be heard, so I just try to speak out for people who can鈥檛 with my words.鈥�

鈥淛ust imagine being held back,鈥� he sings, 鈥淔rom chasing all your dreams just because you鈥檙e black. / See this cage goes unnoticed until your eyes have been opened / To this world ran by whites and on the low they be hoping.鈥�

by Maleke 鈥淢eechy Jay鈥� Jones

Statistics reinforce the song鈥檚 lyrics. In his class presentation about power, Kampanga pointed out examples of institutional racism: in education minorities suffer greater suspension rates; in criminal justice minorities receive longer sentences for the same crimes; and in the marketplace having a black-sounding name makes a person less likely to be called for an interview.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a fight between those that have power and those that don鈥檛 have it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose that have power don鈥檛 want to let it go, because power comes with benefits.鈥�

White privilege

Pannell said that it was her first time teaching the class that the roster was minority white. One senior, Elizabeth Witmer, had always considered herself an ally of minorities; in this class, she was one.

鈥淚 felt like there was a shift inside of me, saying 鈥業 need to take a step back and listen, and not speak so much,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥溾�業 need to listen.鈥欌��

What she heard were 鈥渂ig, burly black guys鈥� talk about being scared, particularly whenever police are around, 鈥減owerful鈥� stories of fellow students facing discrimination.

They weren鈥檛 textbook paragraphs; they were real stories.

Her group鈥檚 class project involved posting 鈥淐heck your privilege鈥� signs around campus, which invited white readers to reflect on positions of privilege from Peggy McIntosh鈥檚 article , statements such as these:

• 鈥淚 am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.鈥�
• 鈥淚 can be confident that my race won鈥檛 determine where I can rent or purchase a house.鈥�
• 鈥淚 can choose makeup or bandages in 鈥榝lesh鈥� color and have them more or less match my skin.鈥�

鈥淢aybe if we are more intentional about remembering that we are privileged, we can be more intentional about changing our thoughts about racism,鈥� Witmer and her classmate Sarah Regan wrote. 鈥淭he fact is that racism still exists in society which means white privilege still exists. Acknowledgement of our privilege is the first step in ending that racism.鈥�

This I Believe

The final assignment for the semester was writing 鈥淭his I Believe鈥� statements modeled on the . In them they told personal stories of pain and awakening, quoted civil rights leaders and expressed hope for social healing.

• From Sammy Thomas: 鈥淚 believe in equality for everyone. It starts with us. No more stereotypes and assumptions of people and races we simply do not know. If we simply treat everyone equally, then hopefully people will pick up on the trend and do the same.鈥�
• From Sarah Regan: 鈥淚 believe that the only place that anyone will ever 鈥榥ot belong in鈥� is isolation. Not one person in this world deserves the right to live more than another. Not one person deserves opportunities more than another. Not one person deserves more love and care than another. With our strengths and our weaknesses, with the colors of our skin, with our many beliefs and our many customs 鈥� In the name of Christ, we all belong.鈥�
• From Fabiana Espinal: 鈥淚 believe we all have the potential to be good, to be knowledgeable and reject ignorance, we all have the potential to be kind. I do believe, however, that it takes hard work, humility, and commitment to get there.鈥�

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