UNF’s campus had an unfortunate encounter a couple weeks ago when a fraternity jacket was found hanging from a rope in a tree on the Green. According to an email update from President Delaney, the UNF police discovered some of the people responsible for the incident. Initially thought to be a hate crime, UNFPD has since found that the suspects vary in ethnicity and race. The suspects claim the incident was merely a prank and not racially motivated. However, the investigation is still ongoing.
In light of the racially-charged incidents happening on campuses like Yale and Mizzou, it’s not surprising that this incident caused many students and minority staff members to contact President Delaney and ask for an open dialogue about racism on UNF’s campus.
Creating an open dialogue has never been more relevant, and it’s a necessary step in addressing racial tension. Instead of talking about issues, people are often more content to “agree to disagree” even if someone’s opinions serve to further invalidate, marginalize, and/or oppress a certain group of people.
However, by refusing to discuss issues and understand why they exist, we only perpetuate problematic ideas and behaviors instead of challenging them. That’s why creating an open dialogue is important and necessary.
Sometimes, people insist that racism ended with the Civil Rights Movement. There are even people that insist they are “colorblind” or aren’t racist most likely because they see racism as a radical opposition to people of a particular race instead of a systematic issue that presents itself from small-scale microagressions to institutionalized racism (think about the fact that black/brown/yellowface is still done but people don’t realize how or why it’s offensive). And despite *race being a social construct, there’s too much historical context to ignore that race is an important aspect of society.
Tension builds up when we don’t actively discuss racism. Even Ruby Bridges, a pioneer during the Civil Rights Movement, has said that she feels the U.S. is returning to its pre-Civil Rights atmosphere.
Talking about racism can be hard, but it’s important to remember that even if we don’t talk about it, it’s still there. It’s not like hiding under the blankets to avoid an imaginary monster in your closet. Instead, it’s more like standing on railroad tracks and pretending you don’t see the train barreling towards you…until it runs you over.
It sounds extreme, but just imagine the protests in Ferguson. Or, you could even look at the issues at Mizzou and the death threats towards students of color because of the protests. And even amid the chaos, one professor insisted on having class and referred to literal death threats as “bullying”. It’s clear that Mizzou is struggling because their administration wasn’t proactive in addressing racism.
And while we can’t expect to change the views of others, it’s admirable that UNF’s staff is taking the time to address racism instead of letting tension fester and denying the importance of talking about race.
