by Dominique M., Assistant Editor-in-Chief Macy’s Day Parade. Steaming turkey. Family surrounded by the table. By now, you are probably envisioning Thanksgiving and all that comes with it. What if I were to replace your ideals of this holiday with the actual meaning of the holiday? The celebration of death. Fresh land for the taking. European settlers praising their “new” America together. Does hearing these descriptions change your notion of the holiday at all?
For many people, it is hard to separate what we currently do to celebrate certain holidays from what their actual purpose is. Moreover, even when we do find out the rationale for holidays like Thanksgiving or the 4th of July, we tend to overlook it. After all, why should you have to change your traditions when you feel like the reason why they started isn’t your fault? Basically, should you be held responsible or even stop your celebrations because of the hellish activity that happened prior to you enjoying it? I wonder if maybe that could be our privilege at work that prevents us from even thinking of the past. If we think back to elementary school, I’m sure we can all remember creating a turkey out of a handprint and dancing around the classroom with feathered hand bands. But, what I don’t remember is learning about the history of the holiday or even how disrespectful it is to parade around in someone else’s culture. Should we be more angered at the school systems for preventing this information into our tiny childlike heads or should we be angry for the teachers who were unwilling to show us the truth? It is no secret that America has a long-standing history of covering up things and refusing to acknowledge our history. Not only is that reflected in our education of generations, but it is reflected in just about everything we do. From the covert forms of police brutality to the disparities in sentencing for minorities, a large problem has continually prevailed. So when we are sitting in our happy homes on Thanksgiving afternoon enjoying a meal that was thoughtfully prepared, should we feel ashamed? Should we be thinking about the thousands of natives that were slaughtered in the name of a new world? Should we be in a such a state of bliss when they were in such pain giving our “founders” what they wanted? When pondering these ideas, does it make you wonder about what else we aren’t being taught and what else we aren’t being told? I challenge you to look at your textbooks and inquire as to what is being left out. After all, a conflict is always told in three ways. One way is one person’s interpretation. Another way is the opposing person’ view. Finally, the third way is the truth. So, ask yourself: which way am I being taught? No longer should we just accept what we are given; rather, we should be researching on our own to discover what is truly being hidden. When you choose to ignore the inquisitive voice in the back of your head, I want you to ask yourself if you are neglecting yourself of a much needed lesson or if you are neglecting those who will continue to be disenfranchised by the ignorance that you are allowing to prevail. After all, “nothing is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”. Just ask Dr. King.
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by Dominique M., Assistant Editor-in-Chief What is your background? Do you come from a happily married couple or do you come from a single parent home? Did your family constantly worry about their next meal or were you able to excessively eat? What if I told you that both were forms of privilege? Each person in the scenario has an innate form of privilege that is always there, yet we rarely distinguish as such. The big question here is why do we have such a problem pointing out this notion within us all.
A rationale for why our views on privilege might be skewed is because when we often think of privilege it revolves around white privilege or the idea that white people receive certain opportunities based on their skin color. Our society has been quick to explain how, based on the United States’ lengthy history of exploiting minorities, the majority has, in turn, become accustomed to reaping particular benefits. Although the idea of white privilege may be true, why does that stop us from acknowledging other privilege? As a minority at a predominantly white institution, I am accustomed to seeing forms of ignorance and biases against other minorities from my white peers. When viewing these things, I found it easy to say that they are acting certain ways, or getting certain things, because of their privilege. But what was so hard for me to understand, as I gradually progressed through school, is the privilege that I also had despite me being a minority. I didn’t grow up in a single-parent household. I didn’t grow up scrounging for food or money. I didn’t grow up struggling to find opportunities to learn. Yet, I always felt that I never had any privilege, because of my skin color. But privilege is more than just skin deep. Privilege is the fact that I was able to attend an optional school and receive a stellar education, because my parents were willing and able to do whatever it takes to help me. No matter what we feel disadvantages us in this society, we still have a specific amount of privilege based on the opportunities that have been presented to us in life. Yes, there are large groups of people in America who constantly have their rights stripped from them and who have to fight for the things they have, but that doesn’t negate the privilege that is evident. So, what does this change for you? More than likely, you’re probably thinking that knowing your privilege won’t change your actions or words moving forward. But I can almost guarantee that now that you know, it will be hard not to think about it. Imagine walking around all day with something on your nose. You are continuing your day unaware of what is on your face until someone tells you. The rational thing to do afterwards is to remove it from your face. But even after you remove it, you can’t help but to think it could still be there. After someone confronts you about your privilege, it may be easy to not think about it, but it is impossible to forget that it was there. Only when we begin to acknowledge the privilege and actually use it to progress and inform others, will we truly begin to see a shift towards a better society. by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief This Black History Month, let’s be thankful for our black educators at UTC.
I’m grateful for the black educators at UTC that I’ve interacted with. Admittedly, there’s not as many as I would like, but, I can definitely say that a lot of my “success” today can be attributed to them, and I know many of you feel the same way. My first black educator in college was within the political science department. By this point, I had gotten so used to having white professors, especially in my department, that when I walked in and saw him, I paused for a second, before I sat down. I didn’t fully unpack though, until he said who he was, because I honestly didn’t believe that I would actually have a black professor. I’d never realized how necessary it was for me to have a black professor. I finally had confidence that I wouldn’t be the only black person in my field. Realistically, I knew this. But there’s a difference between seeing and believing, and for me, in this instance, seeing was believing. I remember being excited to go to that class, even though the subject matter was kind of boring. It was just cool for me to see a professor who didn’t feel the need to “mask” his blackness, and that brought hope that I wouldn’t have to once I entered the field. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. “Talking white” or “acting white” or code-switching. I disagree, though, with white people being the standard for how to act and speak professionally, but I digress. So anyway, thanks Dr. Mauldin because I probably wouldn’t be in Political Science anymore, if I’m being honest. There’s about ten black students within the department that I know of, and I’m not even sure how many are in my specific concentration. I’m not going to go too in depth on any more black educators, but here’s a few that I’ve gotten the opportunity to know personally, and if you don’t know them, get to know them if you can. Dr. Bryan Samuel is leaving; however, he was very influential in getting me involved in different scholarships and opportunities, as well as events such as the MOC Forward Diversity Conference, and so much more. We also have Dr. Mo Baptiste, Dr. H.B., Ms. Nicole Brown, and Mr. Stokes. I know each of these educators on different levels, but I do know that not only do they give good advice, but they are able to offer invaluable experience and connections. There’s Dean Mathis and Terri Thomas in the Multicultural Center who are influential and helpful, Sherese Williams in the Honors College, while new, is very supportive, as well as other black faculty and staff all around campus. There’s also Dr. Trae Cotton, who will be officially starting his position as Vice Chancellor for Student Development today. I only know him through an interview that I attended, but from what I can tell, he’ll be another black educator that we can count on. Be sure to stop by his office within the Dean of Students office to get to know him. This wasn’t meant to be an emotional article: simply an article that expressed my gratitude for the black educators that have helped me so far, and that I’ve seen help others. It’s impossible for me to list every single black educator that we have at UTC, but while we’re celebrating black history, we can appreciate the black educators who are helping us make history. by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief Many of you may think that I’m this Black Panther wanna-be who hates all white people or “the man.” This is so extreme: I certainly don’t hate all white people. I don’t hate anybody. However, I have had some experiences that has made me more wary, than others, of people who voted for Trump--who may or may not be white, and I figured I’d share them with you all.
Welcome to the KKKolumn. I don’t write these to get people in trouble, or to report someone, or even to garner sympathy. I write simply so that, for those who have never experienced racism, you can see it from my side, and for those of you who have experienced racism, you’ll know you’re not alone. #1 For the first edition, I’m going to tell you about a time that I was asked whether or not I wanted to be called “colored.” Now, I’ve actually told this story a few times, so if you know me well enough to have heard this, feel free to peruse the rest of The Torch: Reborn. I walk into a professor’s office. I’m not going to give too many details because as I said, I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. So I walk into her office, ready to talk and get down to business. We’re talking, and the professor suddenly asks me, “What do you like being called?” Now, I was initially thrown off by this. What did that mean? My first thought was, seeing as I have a somewhat difficult name, whether or not I wanted to be called Nina or Simone or NinaSimone or some other variation. As she was looking at me and continuing her side of the conversation, I began to realize that she was talking about my race. What did I like to be called? I responded with, “Black or African-American is fine.” She obviously didn’t notice my discomfort. At this point, I’m twiddling my fingers and staring at the wall, and she continues into her story. Get this. Apparently, a student of hers was fulfilling whatever requirements are necessary for student teaching. On one of her reports, said student called the black students at the school “colored.” When she said colored, it was as if my entire soul was trying to escape my body. I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know how to feel. Colored? As opposed to what? I didn’t even know that people still used that word in relation to black people anymore without irony. Apparently though, according to the professor, things are so “PC” nowadays and “it’s because of the area that she’s from that she uses that language, ya know?” I didn’t know. I was unaware that it was okay to use certain racist language simply because of your geographic location. I was also unaware of what to do in that moment. This was a professor that’s indirectly related to one of my scholarships. Not only could I literally not pop off, I was tired. Why do I always have to educate? Sure, I’ll vent to my friends, but this is an old lady. She’s had plenty of years to educate herself. I don’t know. The whole thing kind of took me off guard, and she wasn’t saying anything with malicious intent; in fact, this may have been her way of learning. I haven’t even gotten to the part where she almost touched my hair. The way my neck snapped back, I’m surprised it’s still attached to my head. She wanted hair “like mine” and she just wished, with all her little heart, that “it puffed up and out the way [mine] did.” I responded and said that, “yea, your hair is pretty flat” and she goes, “yea it is.” I know, rude of me. I couldn’t resist. Mind you, the entire time, I’m still staring at the wall. I did get a quick glance at her once or twice to see her move her hands around her head in motions that I suppose were meant to resemble an afro. Either way, I left that experience with, well, a saddened heart. As dramatic as that sounds, I had gotten used to the idea that with the advancement of technology, came the advancement of knowledge and here this lady was, asking me if I minded being called “colored” and then proceeded to attempt to feel my hair. I just figured I’d share one of the many painful experiences that I get the wonderful opportunity to live through. This wasn’t one of the worst, but I figured it would be a start. Let me know what you think in the comments! |
Author's NoteWelcome to The Torch: Reborn, your multicultural newspaper. Archives
December 2018
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