Over the last few weeks –following the decisions in both the Mike Brown and Eric Garner cases — a sensitive issue has been brought to the national forefront.
Talking about racism makes people uncomfortable in this country. A lot of people convince themselves that it’s not a problem, when in reality, there is still plenty of work to be done in America.
Dwayne Wright — a third year student at the Dickinson School of Law and the mid-atlantic Regional Attorney General of the National Black Law Student Association — is not one of those people who pretends like Americans don’t judge others based on how they look.
“Just like any health issue, preventative medicine is always better than treating the disease after,” Wright said. “I think America has a disease, a disease that it’s not willing to acknowledge. The disease America has is racism.”
Across the country and more notably in the State College area, American citizens have staged protests in order to voice their opinions. While the violent riots in Ferguson were well documented, for the most part, these protests have been done in a peaceful manner.
Students and members of the community have done their part to raise awareness in Centre County. They have conveyed their message through what is called a “die-in,” where people lie down on the ground for 45 minutes, representing the four-and-a-half hours that Brown’s body was left on the ground unattended.
Joseph Selden — Dean of multicultural affairs at Penn State’s College of Communications — stands behind what the students are doing.
“Maybe a huge change is about to hit Penn State,” Selden said. “We have students that apparently care to the point that they’re willing to articulate their voice in a very sophisticated and non-violent manner.”
Although most of the community supported the protests and the message that they’re meant to convey, some saw things differently.
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Yik Yak have been filled with all sorts of comments before and after each “die-in.” Since Yik Yak allows users to make anonymous posts, many of the comments reflected negative feelings towards African-Americans.
“Because it’s anonymous, people are more bold and feel more courageous,” Michael Banks, a senior at Penn State majoring in telecommunications, said. “They will say things that they aren’t courageous enough to say in person. It just helps us show the ignorance that is happening in this country in terms of something serious like loss of life.”
The point of these protests is to show that this is not just about one incident. This is not just about Ferguson, Missouri, but about the changes that need to be made on a national level.
Protesters are fully aware that in order to achieve the changes that they’re hoping for, this conversation can’t be put to rest. Change starts with every individual self-reflecting and thinking about what they can do to make this world a better place for everyone.
Americans have been hesitant to talk about race for a long time, but if people keep having these discussions, Wright believes there will be progress.
“Talk about your biases and where they come from. Talk about stereotypes –some true and some not true,” Wright said. “Most of all, talk about a system that is designed to have a certain effect and that bends will to the people that are in power and does not bend will to the people that are oppressed.”