Last weekend, the biggest story from BCU Night was a Snapchat containing a racial expletive. Despite the music, stories and displays of culture that highlighted the evening, the most talked-about event was a racist comment on social media. The sad thing is, a lot of us weren’t surprised that something like this happened. In fact, we expected it.
This is the problem with our reputation. Most SDA colleges and universities struggle with racism, but Southern is the one where racism is expected. No matter how many diversity committees we set up or forums we have about race relations, people still see us as a racist school.
That’s not all our fault. People judge, and many prefer maintaining their notions of our school over acknowledging our progress. It’s easier for some to point at events like this or the Yik Yak fiasco and scream “Gotcha!” than it is to praise our growth toward diversity. If people want to eliminate racism in the church, then they should stop acting like Southern is the only SDA institution with racists.
Still, Southern has a history of racism, and we’d be fools to think otherwise. Because of this history and our current struggles, I believe our university needs two things: peace and determination.
We have to stop fighting each other. Racially-charged arguments on social media do nothing—repeat, nothing—to improve race relations. Verbal violence only encourages people to become more entrenched in their beliefs. So if we want to eliminate racism on our campus, we need to work together. We need to pursue peace. We need to converse with each other open-mindedly across multiple platforms. If we disagree with someone or feel hurt by a person’s comments, we need to express how we feel lovingly, not bitterly. We need to stop making white people feel that they aren’t allowed to ask questions about race, and we need to stop labeling black people as “overly-sensitive.” We need to invite other races to the discussion and listen to their input. People are ignorant and can be frustrating to talk to, but change will come if we push through frustrations with words of peace, not strife.
Secondly, we need determination. Peace does not mean ignoring our problems. In fact, we need to talk about these issues. Pursuing peace means defending others and standing for our beliefs. But peace does not come quickly or easily. Southern’s got issues, and nobody can fix them all. We can make Southern better, but that isn’t something a single rant or prayer session can accomplish. It takes years, and it takes us. It takes power that only comes from God, and it takes people willing to be used by Him. We need to be determined in our journey toward a better Southern, because progress isn’t always constant. We’ll stumble, and we’ll feel discouraged, but we cannot give up.
Southern, our reputation is on the line. And if we want real change, we have to work for it. If we don’t fix our reputation, we’ll always be known as that racist SDA school in Tennessee.