I love you sisters and brothers.
The 'Doc Hawkins Controversy' is a sensitive topic, even a sore spot, for the religious community at Wheaton College (IL). For many, the events concerning her departure are indicative of the systemic injustice surrounding the history of our country, where African-Americans were treated as less than in thought, word and action. And as a person of color currently attending the so-called "Harvard of Christian Schools", I share these laments as well. For example, I recall Halloween Night at my dorm Sophomore year, where a group white students dressed as Jamaican Bobsledders, using offensive language which mocked by ethnic background. Or I can recall the painful stories of black students being harassed by public safety, because wearing a hoodie at night "appeared threatening". So these stories make me conclude that seriously caring about racial justice is optional for this campus. Yes, we all learn about "institutional racism" and "mass incarceration" in lectures, chapels and courses, but by living in what is still a largely mono cultural learning environment, we are handicapped to invest in nearby marginalized communities; we are much more content to stay in our falsified "white suburban bubble". I also fear we are simply bogged down from busyness, feeling inadequate to humbly pursue conversations about race to the point where it much easier to tune out discussion altogether while students of color continue to experience isolation in their college years.
As for those who boldly protested the actions of the college, I thank you for your efforts and agree with your sentiments. However, in retrospect I feel that the organizers of such protests was centered around those who had the loudest voices, and not necessarily those who had the right tools to engage the institution. In other words, local students of color (such as myself), were not automatically given opportunities to share their thoughts, perhaps because they were dismissed as "too academic" or "too conservative" in thought. But in this way, you were like ethnocentric Western mission workers, working vigorously to construct a African church without listening to the indigenous leaders, leaving them voiceless as you harped over what you were fighting for. "Wheaton" is not just a higher ed institution of 2000 students, but a civic community where 25% of African-Americans live in poverty, 1/3 of all residents are overweight, and the expense of living is 27.30% higher than the national average. You are only guests in this city! You pay $40,000 tuition, hop around area churches, and leave with your diploma without being seriously challenged to integrate your studies to aid the marginalized of our civic community. This keeps you unaware of our plight in this so-called "Christian Jerusalem", where the homeless must sleep on the mats of church floors while the wealthy spoil themselves on luxurious trips abroad.
To conclude, I ask Wheaton College to temporarily stop highlighting its abolitionist founding, as it is hypocritical in light of the many struggles students of color have had to face on-campus. I also challenge white Wheaton College students to purposefully create authentic relationships with students of color, and enter in with a mindset of humility. Most importantly, I ask for the Wheaton College community to better engage with local disenfranchised groups, whose plight has been silenced by the incorrect stigma that our city is only a "bubble".
I love you sisters and brothers.
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Wheaton-I...
African-American Poverty Rate
http://www.city-data.com/city/Wheaton-Illinois.htm...
Wheaton overweight
http://www.bestplaces.net/city/illinois/wheaton
Expense of living
