The time for engagement, active listening, and leaning into social justice issues is now. On Nov. 1, Student-Athletes for Social Justice, a newly organized group at Loyola University Maryland, hosted a Town Hall event via Zoom. This event was a safe space for attendees to reflect on discrimination, bias, and their role in the larger community.
The educational and interactive program was broken into four segments, with breakout rooms following the end of each segment for smaller group discussion.
The learning outcomes were as follows: Participants will recognize that bias incidents happen within the Loyola community; participants will recognize their own responsibility to stand up to exclusion, prejudice and injustice; participants will have an awareness to assist in bridging the gap between those who have experience or know about discrimination and those who are not aware; participants will identify action items needed to occur to make Loyola a more inclusive space.
A video clip from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert featuring the critically acclaimed author of “How to be an Anti-Racist,” Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, set the stage for the conversation.
“Historically, whenever people are challenged for saying and doing something that’s racist, typically their response is ‘I’m not racist.’ No matter what they just said, no matter what they just did,” Kendi said.
He continued, “By contrast, someone who is striving to be anti-racist is actually willing to admit the times in which they expressed racist ideas, they’re willing to admit the times in which they supported racist policies because they are in a process of changing. They’re changing themselves, they are seeking the change in society, they’re not necessarily in denial like many Americans who claim they’re not racist.”
This event reminded participants of the accountability we all share to stand up to injustices and uplift our peers’ voices and stories. The presentation also discussed the current state of Loyola’s campus police. The positive changes they have made to develop better connections with the student body and enhance their service to the community was a point of focus.
The protocols for reporting a bias incident were reviewed. To file a report if you witness any instance of bias, please visit https://www.loyola.edu/department/report-bias. We all have a part to play in creating an inclusive community.
A new way of reporting has also been implemented. The LiveSafe app is available for download from the app store or the campus police website. This app makes it easier to report anonymous tips, such as photos or videos, directly to campus police. The app also has emergency options and resources for students to use to uphold safety on campus.
Awareness about bias starts with education and the courage to speak up about past injustices. We all have a role, as community leaders, to create the inclusive world we want to see.
In the words of Father Brown, “If not us, who? And if not now, when?”
Now is the time to be bold and crack the complacency we have been witnessing in our society. We can do it together through honest discussion and action.
View the recording of the Town Hall below:
To learn more about Student-Athletes for Social Justice, please visit their Instagram page, @sa4sj.
Featured Image courtesy of Jenna Granato
