This past fall semester the Black Student Union (BSU) launched a campaign, #BBUM, that sought to highlight the experiences of being a Black student here at the University of Michigan. The campaign attracted massive amounts of publicity and attention, and on Monday January 20, 2014, MLK Day, BSU released a list of seven demands that asked the university to put into practice their promise to cultivate a safe, inclusive, and equal campus environment. Also, on Monday January 20th, The Michigan Daily launched a new section entitled, Michigan in Color, which seeks to provide visibility and voice to People of Color on this campus.
These two initiatives serve as examples of ways in which our fellow students are mobilizing to shift some of the dynamics of campus racial climate. Their action and dedication to this work exemplifies some of the essence of what it means to be a Wolverine. They are working fiercely to foster a more cohesive campus environment as well as working to break down and re-construct some of the social structures that inevitably infiltrate campus life. This work is not only significant to Black students and students of color but to all students that call the University of Michigan home.
Attending a university means receiving a universal education. So much of what we learn stretches far outside the walls of our classrooms and is greater than the numbers of our GPA’s. Organizations we’re apart of, positions we hold, our relationships and friendships with others and our daily social interactions are all valuable pieces of our university education. As we discover ourselves, our destinies and pursue our dreams and careers, we are learning how to live alongside others and navigate our spaces and communities. There are times when this process of learning feels challenging and tests the limits of our comfortability but it is those moments that are fundamental in fashioning us into beings that can make profound and significant impacts on the world in which we live that will survive long after we have become only memories and moments in time.
So, as a body, let us work to function as a whole, paying close and meaningful attention to all our parts. Let us open ourselves to varying experiences of our peers so we begin to see each other not solely by our identities but as human beings and soul beings first and foremost. Let us live intentionally, realizing that we are only as powerful as we allow ourselves to be. Let us be brave, taking action in spite of our fears, as we continue to feed each other with positivity and maintain the heartbeat and pulse that keeps our campus breathing and fiercely alive. No matter our differences, we are all champions. So, Hail on, for the greater good of our glorious Maize and Blue.