Silence is Not golden

The other night I reconnected with a former student, and what the student proceeded to tell me truly upset me. A few months back the student experienced some difficult mental health issues that led to being hospitalized. Since I wasn't in the therapist's office who heard the student's concerns, I can only judge by what I heard from the student.

What was deeply troubling to me is that the student was never asked whether the student understood what was going on and how decisions were being made (and in some ways felt coerced to the student). The student is not White nor US American and not once were the issues or decisions were explored or determined through a multicultural lens. In addition, the student's family was notified in a country and culture for which mental health issues were seen as deeply shameful, and there was no understanding or sensitivity on the part of the administrators who contacted the family and simply dropped the news.

Last, the student was told in no uncertain terms to stay quiet about what happened. To tell a student of a particular cultural context and of a certain gender to be quiet only adds to the on-going silencing (and oppression) of those who are in the minority and lack power and privilege day in and day out here in the U.S. but particularly on this student's college campus.

Indeed, Silence is NOT golden...

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