SJU Senior Speaks Out About The Feeling of Racial Divides
Channel: Start Talking SJU
Date: 2019-12-06

More videos like this one on the topic of campus Attacks can be found at http://attacked.starttalkingsju.com. You can also see our prior campaigns: Belonging (http://belonging.starttalking.com) or Mental Health (http://mentalhealth.starttalking.com).
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A complete transcript of the video reads as follows:


We definitely need more black people more Hispanic we need more everything at this campus because it's just it's just totally like whited out. I should not have to walk in a classroom and sit down and be the only black not only the only black person but the only black male in my class. I don't think people understand how that makes me feel. You're just stressed about what everybody thinks of you because you look different than them and like that's just that that just like the social construct that just like messed up about everything.
I past a girl with her bag on her shoulder. But like before I saw her it was on the ground and then after I passed her she put it back and I saw a white student walk by. She didn't do anything. Just certain micro aggressions that tick you off and like you just it's hard to just like express those things without having some type of outlet. I personally didn't think it was a big deal at the time but like looking back over it and like surveying it it was pretty messed up because like I'm not gonna I'm not that type of person and it's happened a couple of times where like people are literally afraid of me especially at nighttime, people are literally afraid of me because I have on like a black hoodie and obviouslly my hoodies up because that's just me. I'm not going to change for anybody I learned I learned to like I just need to be myself because I'm not going to be happy if I'm not, you know?
We had black professors at my high school, so it made it more comfortable for me to just you know do my thing and not have to worry about anything. When it comes to like St. Joe's certain like topics come up like racism or like slavery or something, and I feel like they would rather like a person of color to explain instead of allowing the class to explain by itself. And that like really ticks me off. They don't really like understand the magnitude of the issue like they don't understand the issue of it. 
If I had a more safe space it would be easier and network would be easier to talk to people, easier to just be myself in front of new people like. It opens up so many more opportunities like people who don't understand that actual privilege. If you're surrounded by people who look like you you're gonna be very comfortable and living and people don't they don't understand it at all.



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