A few weeks ago, a regional campus affiliated with the University of Michigan posted a message on its Instagram story that invoked many reactions in regards to the bias against people of color. Someone in an Ohio State Snapchat story sent out a screenshot of this post, and the contents are attached below this paragraph. The post asks white individuals to meet up and talk about how their daily lives and encounters look, but it does not allow other races to attend this “diversity and inclusion” event. It sweeps people of color and their unpleasant experiences under the rug by not allowing them a say, and this is essentially segregation. The Caucasian people’s experiences are not representative of the way other races live because Caucasian people are rarely racially profiled; they do not usually have to walk around in fear of being harassed, and they will become even more ignorant of their surroundings from an event where they cannot hear all perspectives.
I think that this post illustrates the danger of a single story because without hearing several perspectives, white students will look past the fact that other students are harassed and humiliated for reasons that cannot be validated. If the school was actually trying to “include” individuals and right this wrong, then it would present the gathering to people of any race. By doing so, no one would be alienated, and white students could learn about their privilege and use it to make progress. However, it is difficult for a lot of white students to feel empathy when they only hear the “bright side” to a story. Most of the people who would have attended this meeting have never been treated poorly because of their skin color, and they would not understand the insecurities that others face when leaving their homes.
I think that this instance also connects to Spivak’s theory of the subaltern. Spivak discusses how the subaltern is a person who is at the bottom of the social chain and has their opinions completely disregarded. In this case, the people of color who attend this school are treated as the subaltern because they are not given the opportunity to impact policy decisions that would greatly affect them. Minorities here are not being provided equality of outcome because they have to work extra hard to make their voices heard and to receive the same respect as their fellow peers. It seems like the school does not care about different races being allies with one another, but instead only finds an interest in what a portion of its students have to say. Also, the fact that this happened at a college is concerning because colleges are where the majority of people can finally express who they are. However, the limitations set on people of color detract from this overarching objective across the country.
I have linked a TED Talk below that describes the systemic issue of minorities being excluded in educational institutions.
Here is a link to this TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7w2Gv7ueOc&feature=emb_title
Works Referenced
Miller, Joshua Rhett. University of Michigan-Dearborn Apologizes for Segregated Virtual ‘Cafes’. New York Post, 10 Sept. 2020, nypost.com/2020/09/10/university-of-michigan-dearborn-apologizes-for-segregated-virtual-cafes/.