In light of the recent racist comment made during BCU night, I’ve felt the desire to address the issue from a certain point of view. Student Association President Phillip Warfield has faced criticism following his tweets on the matter by certain students who attend other Adventist universities, and I feel this is a complete misplace of blame.
Many African Americans and students of color at SAU (as well as the Southern Accent) have been championing the fight against racial discrimination by opening dialogue and supporting events for years now, and yet it is they who apparently still have to face blame for the reoccurring problem of racism displayed by cowardly white supremacists hiding behind anonymity.
There is a spectrum of “wokeness,” so to speak, at SAU. And it directly correlates with “whiteness” at SAU. You have the racists/white supremacists, the people of color (POC) who consciously address issues and instigate dialogue and the people who fall in the middle, who make up the silent majority. This is the group where responsibility for the issue lies.
I’m speaking to this group now. Many of you have friends who make racist comments and/or openly take racial issues lightly. I understand some of you have had these friends for many years and may find it difficult to vocalize your disapproval.
However, you cannot be friends with black people and tolerate the use of racist language among your white friends simultaneously! You know your friends’ mindsets are twisted and wrong, but because your POC friends likely never come into direct contact with these people (for obvious reasons), the responsibility falls to you to shed light on their bigotry, call them out and show them why they must change. Reason and compassion can and must be delivered with firmness if it is going to take effect.
I’m not saying the man-in-the-middle group is responsible for empowering POC on SAU’s campus. Rather, it is their responsibility to clear the way for POC so they can empower themselves, unhindered by petty, anonymous racism.