I have a vested interest in the activism that takes place on this campus. I think it's important, and as we all know there are structures of power in place that keep our student body segregated, white-washed, and dependent on the upper-class for leadership and administrative appointments.
A question was asked at the Kiese Laymon talk on Thursday. A young black woman wondered how, in the face of segregation, could this campus bring communities together across lines to enact change? Laymon gave a wonderful, and relevant, reply commenting on the need for communities (Black, White, Greek, Non-Greek) to fix their internal problems first and make sure they are a cohesive unit ready to make moves as one. However, I think a key part of what we're missing in that answer pertains directly to the activists on this campus. I have watched activist groups form and try to move forward time and time again over the past 4 years. I am a member of the Student Leadership Council and we pride ourselves in the activism we attempt at this university, combating dating/domestic violence, sexual assault, and social inequalities. But I think that within the activist community on this campus there is a desire for notoriety. There is a need for recognition and publicity for their leadership and members. There are TONS of campus orgs that are all doing the same things but moving in sporadic directions. Organizations like BLEND and SODEL formed, and while their goals are commendable, they are overlapping (as is there membership). I see groups doing similar things in the feminist realm, but instead of working together, they are working as individuals. I see a lot of white honors students leading the way in the name of their fellow black students and question whether this is a white savior complex that has even bothered to include the large black organizations on campus in their planning and implementation.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, on this campus there is competition among our activists. I am guilty of it. We fight these fights for so long, we are told to keep fighting, we are told our fight is worthless, and we are educated repeatedly on how dire many of our causes are- all these conflict and create schisms in our student body. We are young and seeking to achieve change and greatness. We see these problems and are emboldened to go forth and stand up. But we forget there are those who should stand in front. We forget there are those already standing. We forget that there are those we left behind. We have to move as one.
Watching the activism and change unfold at Mizzou has inspired students on UA's campus. However, the protest staged on Friday morning around the idea that UA has similar issues and that diversity needs to be addressed, was under advertised and disorganized. It's not that I don't think it should have happened- I commend those students. I understand there is a fire in every black student on this campus I will never know the heat of. I cannot comprehend what it feels like to be invisible. But if we combine our passion, perhaps we could enact real change instead of having to read emails from our President (that didn't even mention race) attempting to place a bandaid on old, historical, infrastructurally maintained wounds.
Our administration wants to save face. But the face of the administration is one steeped in economic and power hungry old money. Greek alumni control most of the happenings on this campus. Football creates a God complex around athletes and coaches, and forms a barrier between the student body and the beast that the football regime has become.
Transparency and communication is key. If UA activists want to achieve any sort of change at a momentum, we have to organize together. We have to reach across apathy and community lines. We have to set the agenda and present it to the public in a way that makes it understandable, but still relays how dire these issues are. Transparency is key. We cannot leave room for any critique that would undermine our goals. Power structures within the administration, faculty, and student body must be displayed for the nation to see.
Every year we make the news for racism in the Greek community. Wouldn't it be nice to read an article about how inclusive our activists are? How intersecting our agendas are? How everyone got to say what they finally were feeling, and that we couldn't be ignored anymore?
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