All It Takes Is One

In the past month there has been news about the place I had worked regarding racial profiling by the security officers. As a result there was a rally but this isn't the first time this has happened. There was a rally there two years ago about the same issue and reality about racial profiling of students, staff and faculty of color. There's much to comment on but I will focus mine about the statements made about how there has been "only one" formal report in the past two years by one faculty of color, which must mean there is no problem, right?

Well, that's no different than saying that there have been no reported sexual assaults and rapes (and unfortunately there are many campuses who report such statistics) so that must mean it can't be happening on our campus. I believe that many would say that such a statement is ignorant at best and outright false at the worst.

For those who made such comments haven't thought about how the bias incident protocol is structured to include reporting such emergencies to Safety and Security (!). Really??  That's a problem when the source of several bias incidents is from interaction with Safety and Security. Also there is a history of the institution of placing more credence of White students over students of color during disciplinary meetings. I won't say more but I know this for a fact for one case.

Just because there is only one report, it doesn't mean there aren't dozens that haven't been reported. Much of this is due to the structure for such reporting, which is problematic as well as the history of a campus (and frankly a society) that punishes people of color (or women or LGBTQQIA or lower class) for speaking up and standing for themselves.

Even so, all it takes is one to remind us that we're still having a problem rather than dismissing it as "only one."


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