Racism in the Classroom
photo courtesy of freepik.com
During my 2.5 years at SU, racially charged hate crimes have permeated the campus and continuously threatened the physical safety and mental well-being of marginalized groups of students. And yet, as a white woman, I haven’t had to deal with them, experience them, or see them the way that students of color have.
However, following the disturbing and heinous hate crime at Day Hall, these students are finally demanding that these threats be acknowledged-- not just by the administration, but by the entire SU campus. The time to target the institutionalized and systematic racism that runs deep in American society is now. In some areas of the nation, it is implicit, but here at Syracuse University, it is overtly explicit and it’s even made its way into our classrooms… even if you haven’t noticed before now.
Prejudice runs deep and is ingrained into EVERY sector of American life, including college campuses. So let’s talk about how this bias manifests itself at Syracuse University. Specifically, let’s shift the focus towards the people of power in our classrooms: the professors.
These are the people educating the next generation of leaders. These are the people that are supposed to challenge and test our knowledge and abilities, but support, encourage and promote us every step of the way. These are the people that are supposedly giving us an education worth nearly $80,000 a year. Yet, marginalized groups of students have expressed that they do not feel welcome in the presence of some professors.
If you’ve had the privilege of not having to care about the experiences of students of color before, listen up. The stories, experiences, and scenes discussed by the following students are horrifying, disgusting, and at the most basic level, inhumane. Do we have your attention now?
Sophie Ogot, SU senior, discussed not just one but two acts of blatant racism she encountered with an SU professor: “He brought up our race and made me feel very uncomfortable. He stated violent things happen to us because of our race.”
Ogot continued, “He asked about campus sororities and fraternities that the class was involved in; my friend who is black raised her hand— she is in a historically black sorority. She proceeded to answer his question, and rather than moving on like he did with all the other white students who answered, this professor felt the need to say, out loud, ‘Oh, I should’ve known just by looking at you,’ with a chuckle.
This occurred on Ogot’s first day of class.
Later on during the semester, Ogot encountered another blatant account of discrimination from the same professor. “Based off the incident that occurred on the first day of class, the students of color formed a group when we were given an assignment to present. Our professor didn’t even realize our group was all Black until we got up to present, because he never cared to learn our names. We were the first group to present on the second day of presentations-- all groups who had gone before us were completely white. Before we even opened our mouths to start presenting he said, ‘I see a theme of color in this group,’ with another chuckle. I was like not again, please not again.”
It seems as though students of color can’t do anything without someone, whether that be a student OR a member of the SU faculty/staff, reminding them of their race. What ever happened to the assured diversity and inclusion that this university promised its admitted students? How are we, as a community, supposed to improve when those with power hold such insensitive attitudes? Until real administrative change occurs, racist and discriminatory faculty and staff, will continue to empower students who share the same biased beliefs.
Gaelyn Smith, a student participant of the Barnes Center sit-in, echoed these sentiments.
“As a black student who has been here for four years, I am tired of the fact that we are having the same conversation. I’m tired of being seen. I wanna be supported. When this university states that increasing diversity on campus is a priority and that Black people are important to them, I am a first hand example of that not being true. This is not fair, this is not acceptable, and I am not the only one who thinks so,” Smith said.
In the midst of her speech, another student of color cried out, “This university stole my mental health. I hate it here. You saying you care about us makes me sick to my stomach.”
What more is it going to take to get the change students of color are begging for? To those who have power at SU, identify where your staff is failing. Recognize there is a problem. Utilize your privilege. Hire more people of color. Students of color are relying on you.