A Student Run site
Overheard at the caf, for real:
"I'm annoyed that everyone's making this such a big deal."
"I'm a ginger. People make fun of my hair. I don't complain about it, so why can't people just get over comments made about race?"
"It was just a dumb joke."
I'm ashamed that I did not have the courage to go up and sit down with these other students, and say something (in love and gentleness) in person. But these comments have haunted me, as many people I know have been deeply hurt by this incident and feel invalidated by the overall response of the student body. I admire and appreciate President Corey's statement, but I think our response to this needs to go further.
Tiffany Sunny de Vos
"There are times - lots of times - on campus when I don't have to think about my race and ethnicity. Times when I don't have to defend my actions or the words I say or the things I do or ways in which I live out my own culture. This is privilege.
I get angry, sometimes, when I talk to other white friends and they say something insensitive; usually they aren't even aware of it, but that's also the problem - they aren't aware of it.
I get angry when my friends of color get angry. I get angry when their voices go unheard. I get angry when they feel hurt and how this is just a normal thing. This shouldn't be normal. This isn't normal in the kingdom of God.
I'm still learning where my place is at the table of this particular conversation but my hope and prayer is that I can continue to grow and that my brothers and sisters around me will come up beside me, in grace and truth, gently showing me my blind spots and continuously nudging me in the right direction."
Josh Eccles
"I always grew up in a family that made an effort to engage with an learn about various cultures. The communities I grew up in were very diverse, and my parents raised me to be compassionate and care about social injustices. My parents had also taught me about what being white means in American society and what I can do about it. I also became aware of prejudice during my childhood with animosity toward immigrants and hearing the experiences of family members of color. Coming to Biola, I began to be more involved in exploring diversity and racial reconciliation. I received the LEAD scholarship and I became involved with MEPD. I came to know that whiteness equaled privilege in the United States. I began to see my life as different from other people's, and what parts of it had to do with my own race. and I learned how I can speak up when I feel it is necessary and listen to the experiences of those who are different from me. I know it is hard with my strong values and passions to listen to others who may have a different perspective than me on race, and I do feel it is important to speak up, but I also want to listen to the experiences of everyone and love them no matter where they may be."
Hannah Clark
​
"My ability to choose has become more and more evident as I process race. I can choose careers, living places, and friends without thinking twice about any of it. If thinking about your privilege is hard to grasp, think about your ability to choose. I certainly don't have any answers about anything related to this topic, but I think we can create more open conversations if we can own up to what is in the way of right relationship. For me, it's choice. What is it for you? While you are thinking about this, stop talking and listen. Listen to the story of someone who is not like you. There experience is their reality and we can validate it by listening. I want to practice the spiritual discipline of listening to those who are not like me. Even if my father won't admit that their are micro-aggressions committed all the time, my generation can believe it. We can make progress if we think about our ability to choose and then stop to listen.
Emma Perkis, Biola Senior