Is St. Lawrence doing enough to show their support to their BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community during COVID? 

It may not be something that the school is considering as much over protecting the larger SLU community during a pandemic but it’s an important thing to consider during this strange time. The Black Lives Matter flag flies next to the American flag outside of the student center as a sign of support and solidarity. While I commend the school for showing that sign of support and releasing statements during the summer, we still have a long way to go. 

There is talk of support groups for the BIPOC community as well as more mental health resources but at the end of the day, the BIPOC community is tired. They are exhausted from living the daily experience of a BIPOC within a society that has put them at a disadvantage since the very beginning. BIPOC students are just as busy as everyone else. They are juggling two to three jobs, school work, issues at home, and daily microaggressions from the people around them. They do not have the time to join another group that looks exactly like them to discuss the experience they all understand because they live it. 

There a need for more white people reaching out and actively making an effort within this campus. This includes faculty and staff yes but more importantly the majority white student body. Listen to your friends, ask them questions, start a conversation, and do not under any circumstances comment ‘why does everything have to be about race.’ I’m glad I can bring this up. Everything is boiled down to race when you are within the minority group. I hate the word minority because it sounds like a statement of less than but it’s true society sees the BIPOC community as less than and if we’re ever going to change that we all need to actively take part in starting the difficult conversions. 

This is not a BIPOC problem this is an all of us problem and if you can see that then I beg you to please continue educating yourself on race, on your inherent privileges, and on what you can do to support those different from you. It goes beyond posting a black square one your feed and I think we can all agree that black square didn’t last long on many people’s feeds because that black square didn’t matter as much to a lot of people. 

The BLM is not another passing trend and it’s not over just because it was popular to post about it on social media. If you are one of those people who posted once about race and never again then I encourage you to step back and think about the implications. No, you do not need to publicly acknowledge your support every three seconds because all that does is present a mask without substance of support to the world. The real work comes when you sit back and reflect daily on what privileges you have, read a book on these issues, or simply do the behind the scenes work to help you understand your blind spots. 

I myself am in a position of privilege as a light-skinned afro Latina going to college I recognize that even the opportunity to sit here and write my opinion is s luxury that not many have. 

The diversity and inclusion statement stated, 

“While respecting and valuing individuals as our founders desired, as a community of learners, Laurentian’s will seek to find common ground or, at least, strive together to understand our differences”  

It is about time for all of us to take accountability and move forward with compassion so that maybe one day we can live in a world that not only accepts our differences but celebrates them equally.