In a school where the latest data shows a 60+ percent white population, what good is DEI without Diversity?
It’s an important question considering that all of the first-year diversity and inclusion sessions that NCC does are hybrid. If you miss any event, there is an alternate assignment where you can always work independently or do a make-up.
Meanwhile, those who go in-person understand the importance of intersectionality and the threat of microaggressions and implicit biases better through dialogue from the Office of Multicultural Affairs. The reason is that there is interaction between cultures. The conversations occur to understand cultures. However, when students don’t attend, those conversations don’t happen.
“Our school needs to do more to include historically excluded, global-majority communities,” said Professor Jennifer Jackson.
What can be done?
A lot of people talk about ignoring the past and focusing on the future with a POC staff running the show. While much can be done in President Anita Thomas’s era, the past cannot be absolved. The only way we can ‘ignore’ the discouraging past is to correct the behaviors the community has promoted for years. Of course, to do that, we need more diversity on campus.
Niya Teresita Gaines, ‘24, informed me that the music she played on campus was restricted in 2021 and 2022 based on the n-word in the songs. Essentially, this decision restricted students who wanted to hear music from Black artists and censored certain artists here on campus, frustratingly right after the George Floyd killing.
This was a response to the political climate of the time; this restriction occurred even as we have DEI training for first-year students.
Gaines said this about the training:
“Instead of focusing on anti-racism workshops, we should be focusing on recruitment and retention rates, because new studies are disproving the effectiveness of DEI training per Dr. Elizabeth Phelps, an academic in the field of cognitive neuroscience.”
Elizabeth Phelps has her Ph.D. from Princeton University. She established that these DEI trainings don’t last more than three days in a person’s mind.
“Increasing the presence of Black students on campus will create an inclusive and immersive environment. This environment promotes positive relationships among students from diverse backgrounds. DEI initiatives will no longer only highlight the problem, but also actively work towards finding a solution. Over time, this will lead to better cultural understanding and a more welcoming and accepting environment,” stated Gaines.
So, what now?
The community can truly do better, by doing anything to initiate positive change, whether seen or unseen by others. As for the school, DEI should not be a show, instead, the events should be an experience. The only way to personalize that experience is to incorporate different backgrounds onto the campus.
“DEI Initiatives serve no purpose without diversity on campus,” said Gaines.
Your contribution outside of the school
Research matters. As highlighted in Atlanta’s Apex Museum, researching underrepresented contributions to our modern world is your start to initiating that change. Then, the work never stops. There, you may begin to understand why oppressed groups feel the way they do. Then ask yourself, what good are DEI initiatives at NCC without diversity within the student body?
“You can be an introvert and have powerful conversations. You can be an introvert and use writing to disrupt white supremacy. You can be an introvert and show up to protest marches. You do not have to be the loudest voice. But you do need to use your voice,” Layla Saad, Me and White Supremacy.
