I heard multiple black students remark that when they saw Martese’s name become part of a hashtag, they first assumed he had been shot and killed by an officer. And yet some say this isn’t connected to a larger problem?
Increased attendance at office hours would, furthermore, increase student understanding and ability with regard to course material. Some students feel so overwhelmed that they do not even know what questions to ask when they go to office hours. As a result, they do not even try to go. Simply showing up can force a dialogue where one’s weaknesses in certain concepts can be identified and very easily be rectified because the professor is right on hand to respond.
A compilation of community members' guest pieces and letters-to-the-editor.
To lobby for particular changes over a long period of time and see minimal results shapes the context in which Martese’s arrest occurred. For students who have become accustomed to seeing their needs sidelined, a lack of community response to the brutality Martese experienced may not be surprising. And this is something we need to change.
After all the pain the color line has inflicted upon the American psyche, many just want race not to matter. Increasingly, the idea of the “post-racial society” and the struggle to attain it have become mixed in with the ideals of the American dream, an ideal that imagines a utopia where race is left unacknowledged. Yet such an idea is misleading when racial distinctions are so ingrained in humanity’s history.
What is fascinating about grinding is the internalization of the roles ascribed in accordance to one’s gender performativity. The next time you are at a party, I encourage you to examine partygoers on the dance floor. You will find there is no discussion of who will take the role of the grindee or grinder. The roles are assumed. Both individuals presume that the male or masculine person should be the grindee and the grinder should be the female or feminine person.
The solution to the lack of training of the PHEs and the lack of confidentiality of CAPS is simple: anonymous mental health advising. These meetings could be on a one-time basis to let students talk through their problems and figure out possible solutions before approaching CAPS. Health professionals could hear students’ problems with no way to report who they were to any sort of medical record.
At face value, these separate incidents may seem unrelated. Drawing the conclusion that oppression exists at the center of University life and culture may seem exaggerated. In other words, it may be difficult for some to relate the ways in which different expressions of oppression and exploitation, such as rape, labor abuse and racial brutality, are in fact interrelated.
In light of the arrest and injury of Martese Johnson, it is time for the laws to be enforced by traditional law enforcement officers and not ABC officers.
While I think the coverage, overall, has been very good, I do have some concerns. Primarily, I’m struck by the fact that the core of the reporting on this story has been done by two members of the Managing Board.
In solidarity, we are wrestling with the devastating reality that our blackness is persecuted, beaten and tortured. No longer will we go unheard. No longer will we accept complacency with the status quo. We will not allow for the University to continue to operate under the erroneous presumption that race is no longer an issue.
On social media platforms such as Yik Yak, students have posted comments blaming Martese for the arrest, saying his wounds were insignificant and even accusing Martese of enjoying a publicity stunt. These and countless other anonymous posts affirm that race is still a serious problem at U.Va.
The fairer way to describe the situation is that the community is influenced by cultural stereotypes of race. Racism involves dehumanization and discrimination against racial groups by labelling them as inferior, and thus it oppresses the abused groups. Racial stereotypes, on the other hand, are sets of beliefs about typical characteristics of certain groups and mental shortcuts that people employ to help reduce the cognitive efforts without the intent to dehumanize certain groups.
If we want something to change we need more than social media activism; we should pursue paths of action that will directly impact our governing institutions. In short, emailing, writing and calling state and federal legislators to advocate on behalf of concrete policy proposals is a far more direct, substantial and powerful way to enact real change. There are four realistic policy proposals that, if campaigned for and implemented into law, would achieve far more than nebulous dialogues.
The University’s lack of concern for its international community’s unique circumstances resurfaced in many other forms. I personally had to deal with a good deal of grief at the hands of the health system. Not all countries use health insurance to get treatment, and I think the University did an inadequate job informing students from foreign countries about exactly what our insurance is, what benefits it affords us, and how it works in the context of Medicare.
Whatever details may surface, a member of our community was hurt, and we have witnessed his pain in the harrowing images that have emerged from that event. He was hurt in a space where he is supposed to feel safe — a space he is supposed to call home. And that is where we should focus our conversation — right here, at home.
Not only can students discuss career opportunities — they can also delve deeper into topics both covered and not covered by the course syllabi. These guest speakers use their personal experiences to engage with students, linking course material to the professional working environment.
Corporations have no business controlling policymaking in the United States. From precedents set by the Citizens United case to the various tax breaks and benefits corporations receive from the federal government, it is clear our legislative and judicial systems — as a whole — have little desire to change the tremendous impact that money has on this nation’s political construct.
More students need to make efforts to bridge the gaps between communities of nationalities or cultural groups to increase dialogue and inclusivity on Grounds. In order to begin communicating across groups openly, the first step is understanding more about the international population.
I think my identity enquiry will be endless. I hope both uncomfortable and kind questions about my role as an international scholar and teacher in American institutions keep awaking my teaching and research reflections, stimulating dialogue between faculty, students and the community while touching people’s minds and spirits.
