On Tuesday, members of the We Are Calvin [too] movement hosted a panel discussion to continue the conversation about race at Calvin.
Local pastor Razel Jones, manager of diversity and inclusion programs for Calvin’s human resources department, hosted the forum, and three students and three faculty members sat on the panel.
After the students published a tumblr sharing their experiences as minorities at Calvin, and continued their stories in a feature last week, they wanted to follow up the conversation.
Rachel Mason and Tonisha Begay, two founding members of the movement explained their inspiration for starting the movement:
“We wanted to inspire change, to make Calvin a more welcoming community for Calvin faculty and students of color.” #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
Razel Jones echoed the importance of paying attention to student experiences:
“When someone is hurting, you don’t tell them how they feel, that they’re not really hurting. –Razel Jones #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
The panel took questions from the audience and shared their own experiences. They discussed how to report incidences of racism and how to encourage more diverse leadership on campus — one of the goals of We Are Calvin [too].
Junior Kathryn (Kat) Knox said she felt discrimination in the dorms:
“As a minority student, I had no choice” but to interact with majority, but “they had the choice to not interact with me.” #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
One question in many minds after reading the tumblr and the stories was: Where do we go next?
Senior Virginia Lodge said students experiencing racism should not be afraid to speak up. Even though the conversation might be “awkward and painful,” she said, discrimination should be addressed.
Knox said that campus leadership should undergo training not only to increase their cultural competence, but to enable them to be a resource for other students. In her experience as a Knollcrest East RA, she said, leadership was not adequately prepared to lead diverse students.
“During RA training, there was little or no addressing of racial or cultural competency.” -Kat #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
The panel also offered advice and encouragement to those seeking to be more welcoming to their neighbors. Sociology professor Lissa Schwander said,
“Create genuine relationships and don’t discount their experiences.” -Schwander #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
Knox, Lodge and sociology professor Mark Mulder also weighed in.
Majority people need to “not be defensive when they’re called out” -Mulder #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
“Don’t be paralyzed. When you mess up, apologize.” -Virginia #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
“When you really want to get to know someone, you invest in them and the things they love.” -Kat #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
In closing, music professor Joel Navarro shared his advice: when creating genuine relationships, “Practice makes perfect.”
"As a minority student, I had no choice" but to interact with majority, but "they had the choice to not interact with me." #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
"This whole movement is out of love." -Senior Rachel Mason
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
"When someone is hurting, you don't tell them how they feel, that they're not really hurting. –Razel Jones #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
"We have to not meet people with assumptions. I have a story unique from anyone else." -Tyrell #CalvinTooForum
— Calvin Chimes (@CalvinChimes) April 28, 2014
