On Monday Saint Michael’s held the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation. I was particularly moved by MLK Jr. Society President Allison Avery and keynote speaker Rosa Clemente.
Avery preceded Clemente and did a fantastic job discussing her experience on the topics of diversity and racism. It is important to note that although she’s the president of the MLK Jr. Society, she is a white student and has faced backlash for her involvement. I commend Avery for explaining the importance of checking your privilege and thinking about inequalities in the context of Saint Mike’s being predominantly white. Although being white and growing up in a “white bubble,” Avery clarified to the audience her investment in the interests of black people. She explained how she was raped and was made to feel worthless and unwelcome in her community. Avery relates her experience with rape to the everyday trials of a non-white student in a predominately white college. In each situation, the sense of worthlessness and unwelcomeness is present. Avery then pointed out that Saint Michael’s demographic is not representative of the rest of the world- which is very true.
It fascinates me that much of the Saint Michael’s population doesn’t know what diversity really is. Because how could you know diversity if you’ve grown up in such a “white bubble?” It’s just like how a white person could never know what it’s like to be Black or Hispanic or Asian. You can hypothesize as to what it’s like, but without actually experiencing it, you can never really know. It’s important that we learn about these issues because we can’t experience them first-hand. We must open our minds because the rest of the world is filled with people of all gender affiliations, sexual affiliations, ages, classes, and races that we can’t know about .
Now you’re probably wondering, how do I know about diversity? I’m an 18 year old white, upper middle class young woman just like much of the Saint Michael’s population. Ah, but I come from Windsor, CT. Windsor is proudly known to be very diverse. In the school system, the majority of the kids are Black, and the rest are mostly white, then Hispanic, and then Asian. In elementary school I was the only white girl in my classroom. I personally know what it feels like to be different than everyone else, however, for being white rather than black. In high school I ran track where, senior year, I was the only white girl on the team. From my interaction in the St. Mike’s community, it appears that students have not had the same diverse experience that I have had. Because of this, I value being able to come to a not-so-diverse college and sympathize with the minority.
Despite there being such a high minority population in my home town, the school system was still susceptible to racism. In high school I took mostly High Honors and AP classes. The depressing thing was that the classrooms were predominantly white, save a few students of color. It stemmed from teacher recommendations in middle school. Black kids who got the same grades as me in middle school would be recommended for lower level classes in high school. Parents had to fight administration to get their kids in the classes they deserved. I have seen this inequality first hand and it horrifies me.
At Saint Michael’s, I feel as if the problems our country faces with racism are looked upon as something that’s happening far away. When Clemente spoke of the social injustices experienced by Black Americans, like police brutality, it seemed as if these issues were out of our control. During the convocation, I felt as if the Saint Mike’s population was taking in the information similarly to when you see an advertisement on TV about how “for 25 cents you can save a starving child in Africa.” We know there’s a problem, but because it’s not something we see, we give little thought to it.
Therefore, I think MLK week is great for the Saint Michael’s community. It’s exactly what we need to show the Saint Mike’s community how black people in this country are treated and mistreated. People need to know. Students shouldn’t have to hide behind their ignorance. I applaud Avery and Clemente for speaking and trying to change the way the Saint Mike’s community thinks about race.