Last Monday was like any other day on campus. I woke up, went to class and work, and did my homework then went to bed. Little did I know what would ensue over the next few days. Over the weekend there were some racist incidents that occurred on campus. After I found out on Tuesday the extent of what happened, the vibe on campus totally changed for me. Too many people were hurt by what had occurred. I personally will never understand what it is like to be targeted and to feel unsafe at my own school, but I sympathize with those that are hurting.
I want to let you know that I am here to listen. It is on us to fix the problems we have. We need to do our part, both whites and people of color. Strike up a conversation with someone of a different skin tone than you. See that they are human too. Learn about what makes them hurt, learn about what makes them happy or sad, and then do something to make sure they are happy and not sad or hurting.
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We need to make sure that we respond to these incidents with respect and refrain from threatening people or putting them down. This isn't to say that the people who did these things don't deserve some sort of repercussions, but it should be handled by the university, not us. Our part is to make sure to educate ourselves and others on things like white privilege, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and other topics that will help to stop things like what happened this week from ever happening again.
I am sad to see that we have not been following our true Jesuit value to be men and women for and with others here at Xavier University. This is a core value to our university, but we have failed to follow this. But we can do better. I believe that we can change and we can truly be "all for one and one for all."
