To my Alma College community in wake of the election,
One of the main reasons I chose to come here is the wealth of acceptance and diversity I had seen throughout the campus.
In wake of recent events, that acceptance and inclusion have been thrown to the wind. Since we elected Donald Trump as President, this campus has been divided. I do not care who you supported in the election and for what reason you supported them. What I care about is that people are kind to each other.
What I have seen happening across this campus has echoed the hatred that many faced in the 1960s. There has been racial slurs and drawings in classrooms, people have been ripping down the signs for the gender-neutral bathrooms, and threats have been directed towards the LGBT community. I for one am appalled at how my generation has been acting towards each other. It is sickening!
However, I know that the hate is not one sided. People are scared to tell others that they are conservative for fear of retribution.
I know that as a cisgender, white female, I have not meant much oppression. Yes, I have faced oppression due to the belief that females are not meant to be educated and to not be heard. Being deemed as a “privileged one” does not mean I am blind to what has been happening.
If the President of our college has to address the issue and remind people that they need to file reports, there is an issue. Reading the email that President Abernathy sent out brought tears to my eyes. Phrases that have been thrown at students on MacIntyre Mall has made me sick. I heard students tell POC to “Go back to the homeland or pick cotton.” Our Mexican-American students have been told to “Get on the other side of the wall,” or even, “Go make tacos.” Why has this become our daily life?
All this campus wanted was peace and what they were met with were racism and hatred. The students have put together peaceful protests to show that no one has to be alone on this campus. Much of reaction has been positive and asking for continued support.
We are the generation of change. How are we going to unite as a generation and show our parents that we are not just dumb kids if we can’t even get over our differences and stop fighting each other? I want to have my kids grow up in a world where differences are accepted and celebrated. I want my kids to be able to see a same-sex couple and think of it as normal rather than something to be ostracized.
I worry for those who do not necessarily have it as easy as I do. I am afraid for all my friends who are part of the LGBT community. I worry about all the kids with Autism that I have worked with. I worry about parts of my family and friends that are people of color. I fear that we are backsliding so drastically that there will be no way to come back from it.
As Ellen always says, “Be Kind To One Another.”
Your hopeful millennial,
Kelsey R. Weiss
