There are so many wonderful things at Iowa State. Just a few of these include the professors, the many clubs offered, and of course, the beautiful campus. Even though there are many things I love about this campus, there is one thing that has been increasingly more apparent on campus. Unfortunately, racism is on the rise here at campus. This is a problem with some of the students here at Iowa State, not with the administration. After a recent issue this past Thursday, the Office of the President sent out an email saying that what was going on was against campus policy, as well as the Principles of the Iowa State Community. They informed us that they were working on it and told us to report any suspicious behavior.
Around 20 locations on campus were seen with racist posters hung up. Although I did not see any of the posters myself, I did see pictures of them. One of them said, "White students you are not alone. Be proud of your heritage." Another one said, "In 1950 America was 90% white. It is now only 60% white. Will you become a minority in your own country?" There are a few things that bother me about this situation that I've noticed from other students.
It bothers me that people can even have this mindset. Perhaps people don't like being thought of as a minority because they are aware of how poorly the minority can be treated. This kind of thought process is very dangerous to our society as a whole. We should be embracing diversity; it helps the spread of ideas. We should have a desire to learn about different cultures. The slandering posters should not be seen as acceptable.
This leads me to another disturbing fact. Pictures were posted in a Facebook group of what the posters were saying. There were many people who defending the pictures and stated that they "didn't see anything wrong with them." You have got to be kidding me! How can you possibly not see anything wrong with demeaning people simply because of who they are born to be? People began making jokes about what they would as racism. People need to understand that this is a serious problem, and by downplaying the severity of the issue, they are conveying the message that it's acceptable when it's not.
I would also like to point out that people seem to be forgetting a lot about the history of America. They seem to be forgetting that their own country isn't even their's. Perhaps they weren't taught about the horrible things that were done to the American Indians when whites settled here? Maybe they forgot about the Trail of Tears where about 4,00 Cherokee died? Maybe they aren't thinking about the people of color have been treated very poorly when they were slaves? Maybe the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s aren't seen as important to them? And maybe, just maybe, racism isn't seen as an issue because they have never been oppressed because of the color of their skin?
One of the things that bothers me the most is the racism that occurs everyday in the microaggression comments made from people. As I was talking to a girl about the posters she mentioned that a friend was upset about them. I explained that I also was because it's not acceptable. The girl responded that it made sense that her friend was mad because her friend was a person of color. The way life works is that power is given to those who are privileged. Without those who are privileged fighting against what is going on, things cannot change. Not only people who are impacted by the oppression are allowed to be mad. In fact, more people should be mad. The appeasement of the microaggression comments are fueling the fire just as much as the blatant acts of racism that are happening. In order for anything to be done about it, all people need to acknowledge what a problem this is.
This problem is something that is negatively affecting my experience at Iowa State. I believe that the administration is doing its best to put a stop to it, but it's still a very real thing. Putting an end to racism starts with you, with me, with us. We should be striving to show that we are not going to tolerate the racism that is happening among our peers and in our communities.
"A smile is a smile, no matter the face. A soul is a soul, no matter the race."
