Brittany Wilson

Brittany Wilson

By Brittany Wilson, The Whetstone Managing Editor

As a white student, I have never felt personally discriminated against at Wesley College.

But I have felt “unwelcome.”

When I first heard about the issue concerning the fliers for the Mr. and Ms. Africa Pageant, it was presented as a silly misunderstanding with an easy fix: “just add ‘Everyone is welcome’ in bold on the bottom of the flyer to instantly make the event inclusive of all races.”

From my perspective, however, adding that phrase doesn’t really change anything—the event was already intended for all students, regardless of race, to come together to learn more about African culture.

As a student, I am automatically invited to the activities and events sponsored by campus organizations.

As a white student, I have never viewed any event as discriminatory or “racist” for celebrating a specific culture.

In fact, I think it is important for students to have an understanding of not only their own culture, but others’ as well—the willingness to embrace it all is what I believe America (and Wesley College) should stand for.

As a student, I believe everyone was already welcome, even before the flier said so.

But that doesn’t mean I would ever attend.

Not because I am uninterested in the material being presented, or because I lack the motivation to get involved.  It’s my own ignorance, my own preconceptions that hold me back.

It is not the events, but the names of the organizations—Multicultural Student Union, African Student Association, Black Student Union—that seem exclusive.  I am a white girl with Irish and English roots—there is nothing ‘multicultural,’ ‘African’ or ‘Black’ about my appearance.  I personally would feel out of place, or even unwelcome, to join an organization that, by its title, sounds specific to one race not my own.

I know the organizations do not intend for people to feel this way, but I also know that I am not the only one.  Of the 60 people who attended the Mr. and Ms. Africa Pageant, only ten of them—17 percent—were white. Why? Because regardless of what the flier says, the misconceptions about certain organizations still stand.

But isn’t that just a reflection of our nation’s current racial issues?  Here, on a much smaller scale, it is visible how easily things become miscommunicated, profiled, divided and entirely misunderstood.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  We are one nation, one college, one student body.  Everyone is welcome.

In the words of Condoleezza Rice, “The essence of America—that which really unites us—is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion—it is an idea—and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.”

Adding a simple phrase to a flier may put this particular issue to rest, but the only thing that will truly solve the problem is education.  If students understand that they are welcome within an organization, they will immediately recognize that they are also welcome to attend events.