Lived Experiences
Edwin Aguila
“[Structural racism] has affected me in that whenever I’m in class, I’m one of the only Afro-Latinos. I’m afraid to raise my hand for fear of saying something “stupid” and getting judged—not just for my own actions, but as a representative of all Afro-Latinos.”
Do you feel you have benefited from your race or have knowingly or unknowingly perpetuated the system of white supremacy?
Natalie Ziegler
I think a big part of privilege I’ve been thinking about is that I am privileged to be able to talk about this stuff without being emotionally triggered and am able to engage with these concepts from the perspective of someone who is privileged.
I come from a middle class white neighborhood, like when I was younger I lived in an idyllic suburban neighborhood - all white - black fam moved in a block away which I wasn’t scared but I remembered thinking and being intrigued on how different it was and I think about that sometimes.
I definitely used to tokenize the few black people I knew my good friend went to an inner city school in Akron and she knew a lot of black people and she was engaged earlier in these issues since she was around people who were talking about it - like I never talked about these things until I got to college. But she would tell me that I don’t get to say that “I get it” because I know two black people. Maybe something I still think I might perpetuate and what I ask myself a lot is “Am I being Maternalistic and white imperialistic?” I spent two summers on a Native American reservation and that was the first time race became salient for me. I was one of three white people on the reservation. I remember meeting with a lot of people in the community who thought it was problematic white people did community service on the reservation. I struggle the most with deciding how can I help someone without further oppressing them or developing a white savior complex?
Daniel Southwell
“I grew up in Rochester, so I have experienced structural racism firsthand. I don’t see the university participate in many legitimate initiatives to better the city. Most of the [good] things that go on are student led coalitions, whereas the university has a multibillion dollar endowment. There are so many good things that could be done with that money: improving after-school programs in public schools, food drives, anything that could be done to help alleviate the poverty that exists just on the other side of the bridge. I’m not saying that to try and perpetuate the stigma of Black people in the ward only living in poverty. I’m saying it because I grew up in Rochester and I grew up in poverty.”
Ezekiel Starling
As a Black male I was born into not only a losing team in America, but thrown headfirst into an uphill battle I never asked for. I have seen the differences in what is readily accessible to me versus my White friends, and had to constantly watch myself growing up so as to not step on the system's toes. As a child I was taught to be afraid of police and explicitly instructed in ways to avoid getting killed by them if I was ever pulled over, which I can guarantee is a conversation that was never had with my White friends. I have had to watch as my Black brothers and sisters are constantly criticised for not living up to the status quo standard for things like beauty and are constantly berated for their natural appearance. Then when we try to call people out on their ignorance we are never taken seriously. Apparently our not physically being enslaved anymore means that this is a “Post-Racist Society” and us complaining as free people is just something nobody wants to hear. I have also seen as time and time again my culture has been appropriated and used outside of its original context just to make a quick buck. Music that is meant to be the soundtrack for the revolution is taken and turned into a pop sensation, fashion that is a symbol of cultural pride is spun into a trend on instagram, and dances that come out of our natural sense of rhythm are turned into awkward vines poking fun at our movements. In my life Structural Racism has shown me time and time again that my contributions, insight, and opinions are not valued by anyone of power in this country.
Eva Jones
As a white person, I am constantly critiquing my motivations for being engaged in issues of racial justice and negotiating the actions that I take in response to that motivation. I am always asking myself, "Am I doing this because I feel guilty? Because of my own narcissism? Or am I doing this out of empathy and love for my fellow members of the human race?" I use this line of questioning to direct my actions on these issues. I strive to act in love and empathy, to use my privilege to create spaces where voices of color can be better heard- not to attempt to speak for them. I try to use my status as a white person to insert dialogue about race into white spaces, into conversations with other white people; after all, we are the ones that have the most to learn. My ultimate goal in talking about race with white people is to help them see that because they have privilege, (access, resources, social capital) they have the power to create change, to create a platform for people of color to use, to support racial justice- and that they should feel a responsibility to do it, because we are all better when we have equality.
I was lucky enough to grow up in a diverse family with cousins of all shades and intersections of identity. I have seen firsthand the structural racism that my family with more melanin has had to deal with and have felt from a young age like it was my responsibility to help fix the system in any way I could- with all the energy I have from not enduring racism. As an intersectional feminist, I place responsibility for dismantling systems of oppression, upon those who benefit most from the system staying in place. Audre Lorde explained this perfectly in Sister Outsider,
“Black and Third World people are expected to educate white people as to our humanity. Women are expected to educate men. Lesbians and gay men are expected to educate the heterosexual world. The oppressors maintain their position and evade their responsibility for their own actions. There is a constant drain of energy which might be better used in redefining ourselves and devising realistic scenarios for altering the present and constructing the future.”
We are better when we live empathetically. We are better when we confront our own racism- when we are brave enough to have an honest conversation with ourselves about how we benefit from any given structure of power and act to abandon reliance on that structure, forging an autonomous identity and sense of self-worth in the process. We cannot simply state that we are better than racism if we have not put in the effort to de-program ourselves from it.
The experiences of Black students of color on this campus are varied and complex. Though certain aspects of the Black collegiate experience transcend, each student brings with them various cultural and life understandings. Different choices are made, experiences vary, and interpretations range.
Someone who is a member of BSU or someone who lives in DLH —having been a direct target of racist Yik Yak posts— will have a very distinct interpretation of life as a student of color on the River Campus. Accordingly, as some students are targets of racial hate, others may never have experienced overt acts of racism.
Due to their surroundings, someone in a predominantly white sorority or fraternity may have a very different interpretation of inclusivity on the River Campus. Even two people of color in the same predominantly white sorority or fraternity will most likely have very distinct interpretations of inclusion. The same goes for international students. Coming from various countries, they will no doubt have different perspectives compounded by grappling with similarities and differences between cultures.
It’s important to note that as some students take to protesting racism on this campus, and in the larger world, others will opt not to directly engage. This is what it means to be a Black student at a predominantly white institution.
No experience is quite the same.
*If you are a student wishing to share a lived experience concerning race, please contact us via our feedback link on the home page.
Rochester Student Protests and Solidarity
