Let's Talk About Race, Baby!

Let’s talk about you and me and what it’s like to attend this university. Before that, I want to review the speaking event I attended on January 31st. ResLife and the Together: Confronting Racism team presented “The Paradox of Race Talk in America” with keynote Dr. Marilyn Sanders Mobley in the SUBOG Student Theatre. Dr. Mobley is the Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity at Case Western Reserve University.

“Race talk exposes anxiety within the self as well one’s attitudes of others; and the best progress occurs when the discomfort is admitted,” she said, speaking on the goal and practice of having REAL dialogues about race. We, as active members of a diverse society, need to become culturally competent leaders. There has been a history of failed attempts to talk about race that never make the shift from diatribe to dialogue. This failure only perpetuates the lack of education, value, courage, and care on the various topics of race, diversity, and the oppression of marginalized communities. Until this change is made, we will remain a divided country, never truly healing from old, deep wounds. The key to this change, according to Mobley, is “[to] care enough to stay in the room when you feel like you don’t want to hear it.” This was one of my favorite quotes of the night as it speaks on one of the biggest challenges to intelligent discourse today; everyone wants to talk but no one want to listen.

I attended this event with a fellow Humanities House member as I was very interested in hearing the topic of race being spoken on from the perspective of a woman of color. This is not only due to my personal identity, but because the talk felt refreshing in wake of the Wintrich and Shapiro events that have taken place recently, the latter being only a week prior to this one.

I offer an unfortunate reminder that the measly charge of Breach of the Peace against Wintrich was dropped whereas assault victim Catherine Gregory, the alleged paper thief, was subsequently charged with Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Attempt to Commit Larceny in the 6th Degree. Go figure.

I found Dr. Mobley’s presence salient during this time of stark, at times chaotic, division. Although her talk was not presented in response to Wintrich or Shapiro, she was, in my opinion, the voice many of us have been waiting for.

Dr. Marilyn Sanders Mobley

The night of the Shapiro speaking event put on by the UConn College Republican, I spoke to a few students in and out of the African American Cultural Center about the event. A few stated that they weren’t at all surprised that the university would allow a speaker of such abhorrent rhetoric to be brought in. When I asked if they would attend the “counter-speaker” Nathan Robinson’s event, brought on by the College Democrats, responses varied. Some attended to show solidarity, while other were disappointed by the selection as it was another white cis-gendered male speaking as a direct counter to Shapiro. One student spoke on the shock he felt when he saw the line to enter the Shapiro event which he likened to a Jorgenson concert line. What was unanimous among those I spoke to was the sense that the university fails to implement effective Top-Down responses that make students of marginalized communities feel as though their (our) voices are truly being heard, validated, and cared for. This is especially the case for students’ feelings toward Susan Herbst as an unresponsive, neglectful, and seemingly apathetic president.

Despite how informative and inspiring "The Paradox of Race Talk in America" was, the relatively small theatre seemed to have more seats empty than full. Many chalked it up to a lack of advertisement or promotion of the event; while others would blame “racial fatigue” for the low turnout. Still, I found that her talk was the perfect response to recent events. In fact, I believe that she should have been the Democrat’s pick as a “counter-speaker.” This being because she spoke directly on the topic of race issues in America and how to move forward during these times, rather than centering an entire talk around the obviously problematic nature of one man’s rhetoric. Throughout her talk, Mobley not only explained the evolution of racism and the language of race talk, but also featured many examples of how the student on her campus were active in demanding and affecting change by conducting Listening Tours, Lunch-and-Learns, and even evaluating apps informing students about police activities on and around campus.

I’m not a pessimist, nor am I too jaded to fight the good fight. I still have hope for change and social justice. I just know that there is lot of hard work to be done on all parts; I take solace in knowing that I am and will continue to do mine.

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Thanks for reading!