When I sat down to write this article, two very different topics were trending on Facebook and Twitter: the events occurring at Yale University and Starbucks’ new holiday cups. As a Yale student who currently lives on campus, I am right in the middle of a major movement. With pressure to write about my experience as a part of this movement, I felt uncertain of how to move forward. While I am certainly a witness to events taking place here at Yale, I don’t feel qualified to write an article. Because I am a just a witness. Not to say that I don’t fully support the goals of Yale’s students to create a safer and more inclusive campus, because I believe that such an environment is essential on a college campus. But I am not a person of color. And I cannot begin to fathom what it feels like to feel constantly threatened in a place I am supposed to call home. I’ve never been in such a position. And the last thing I want to do is speak for a person or people who have voices of their own. So many beautiful articles have been written about the issues surrounding Yale University by intelligent, passionate students. I didn’t want to add my voice to the mix. I didn’t want to speak over the people who deserve to be heard much more than I.
So, with that being said, I’m going to address the second trending topic I mentioned earlier, in hopes that it may shed some light on two important issues. In case you were too wrapped up in the news about students attempting to eradicate racism and sexism on college campuses, a major controversy arose when Starbucks revealed their holiday cup for this year. An evangelist from Arizona, upon buying his holiday latte, noticed that his cup didn’t have the usual wintry mix printed on it. He immediately recognized the plain, red cup as Starbucks’ declaration of war. Yes, by mass-producing plain red coffee cups for the holiday season, Starbucks began to wage their war against Christmas. The evangelist decided to gather troops of his own to fight this anti-Christian, anti-Christmas company. He turned to social media, of course, to form this army. People from all over America banded together via social media to protest Starbucks’ attempt at an all-inclusive holiday cup. Their weapons? The phrase “Merry Christmas”. To show their fury and indignation, these people went to Starbucks, ordered their favorite warm beverages, and vehemently told the barista that their names were “Merry Christmas”. I suppose their intent here was to prove to Starbucks that the company couldn’t kill Christmas with their blasphemous plain red cups. And while they put up a valiant effort, all they really did was provide Starbucks with business. I mean, as soon I as read about the controversy, I decided to stop at Starbucks before my first class to grab a Peppermint Mocha (delicious in any cup).
What does this have to do with Yale, though? I’ve read a lot of articles written by people outside of Yale calling the students oversensitive whiners who need to grow up. But I am at Yale right now. And I don’t see that. I see smart and strong students coming together to change things that are wrong on our campus. I may not have experienced discrimination myself, but I have listened to so many people who have tell their stories. They aren’t telling their stories for pity. They are telling them to expose what it’s like for people of color and women and other minority groups to come to Yale and feel uncomfortable, unsafe, and ostracized. The movement at Yale is not about an email or a Halloween party. It’s about making this campus a home for everyone who lives here. We are students. We are here to learn. But learning does not stop in a classroom or a lecture hall. Look at the Starbucks “controversy” and look at the controversy surrounding Yale. One is a group of adults protesting a cardboard cup. One is a group of students protesting prejudice and discrimination. One group wants snowflakes on a coffee cup. One wants to create a supportive community where no one ever feels threatened because of who they are. Only one of these groups of people sounds like oversensitive whiners who need to grow up. And it is not the students at Yale University.
