With so much focus on diversity on Wake Forest's campus,
where exactly does inclusion come in to play?
There is a lot of talk on campus about racism on the part of white students on campus, but the exclusive nature of our cultural groups seems to be ignored. Honestly, I do not think our problem is solely a race issue. It is not about black nor is it about white or brown, or orange, or purple, or green for that matter. Our issue is that everyone feels more comfortable in their little bubble than they do interacting with and learning about others.
Our campus has been somewhat racially and culturally diverse for over 50 years now. We have wonderful facilitators of both diversity and inclusion such as the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Of course our student population is a diverse one! In addition to an increasing number of international students, there are so many cultural groups on campus! From the Black Student Alliance, the South Asian Student Association, the Organization of Latin American Students, the African and Caribbean Student Association, and countless others, there is a cultural group for just about everyone.
Merriam-Webster defines inclusive as "covering or including everything: open to everyone: not limited to certain people". Which strikes me as quite different from the social atmosphere of Wake Forest.
Let's touch on Greek like for a moment, since this is such a prominent aspect of Wake Forest's social structure. Last year my sorority was invited to participate in stroll fest with the NPHC organizations which was a lovely experience. Afterwards, however, there was a photo taken of Wake Forest's NPHC organizations which was posted on Instagram with the caption "Greek Unity". This struck me as odd, because this wasn’t a great example of Greek Unity. Perhaps NPHC unity but no one asked us, nor any other type of Greek organization, to participate in this photo.
It's not just the photo that has caused me to feel somewhat cynical about the state of inclusion on our campus, but rather testimonials from individuals who will remain anonymous to preserve their integrity. Some have been socially excluded from their respective cultural groups because either they were “too Americanized” or converted to the religion specific to their group rather than being born into it like everyone else in the group.
On several occasions, I have heard people say "no, I don't go into OMA very much anymore" for reasons of feeling excluded from the social interaction in the student lounge. People often question why it seems like the majority of the students who spend time in the OMA student lounge are black students, and though I don’t have the answer as to exactly why this is, but students who aren’t regularly in the lounge feel unwelcome when they do decide to spend some time there. A few weeks ago, a white friend of mine told me she went to OMA between classes and someone asked what she was doing in there.
Last year I was secretary of the Black Student Alliance. During our first meeting as a group, we had an open discussion about what to do about the social issues on our campus. Someone proposed that whenever we see another black person, to wave at them and make them feel welcome. I wholeheartedly agree that we should make other students feel welcome here, but not just because they are black! Do it for everyone because of the need for warmth and kindness in a world that can feel really cold, especially for freshmen who haven’t found their friend groups yet.
I do not agree with the idea of being “color blind” because it implies an ignorance of diversity.
What is so wrong about being all-accepting? Student groups, why not do more together? Not just for the funding or to make us seem diverse, but rather to learn about each other and grow as people?
The Soulfod Fiesta? Keep that up! Why not begin new partnerships as well?
We are in college to learn and grow, so why does it seem like everyone is competing for attendance at their events? Go to each other’s’ events and come away with something new.
Stop blaming society for our social troubles, we are society. Let’s fix this.
