This experiential dimension is hard to create intentionally. A white student recently shared with me what she learned when she entered space which at first felt like unfamiliar territory. I too used to think this, but now I know the community is always welcome to attend any event. Although I was at first hesitant to show up at a cultural house, this semester I have attended several social events there. I used to think because I was not affiliated with the group who maintains the house that I was not welcome.
Cultural centers represent an important educational site for white students.
All students should take advantage of the excellent opportunity cultural houses provide to rid them of fear. It is as simple and complex as ABC - affirming identity, building community, cultivating leadership. We need to understand that it is a developmental process, that when understood, can be influenced to the good. In the process Mount Holyoke women will continue the Mary Lyon tradition as agents of change in the pluralistic world of the 21st century.