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Speaker debates racial bias and community
Story about CCC staffer Dushaw Hockett leading discussions on aspects of communication between cultures at Crossing Borders events.
Emotion
and debate stirred among students Tuesday in the Susquehanna Terrace during a
discussion of Crossing Borders: Building Bridges Between Black and Latino
Communities.
The event was hosted by the African-American
Cultural Center.
Dushaw Hockett, an organizer for the Center for Community Change, informed
students about the different methods of "crossing borders" between
social and cultural prejudices.
Hockett opened up the floor to students and encouraged them to share their
concerns about racial issues.
"Our goal is to raise awareness about prejudice and to help build
relationships between different cultural communities, specifically between
African-Americans and Latinos," Tanysha Williams, coordinator for the African-American
Cultural Center,
said.
"Part of the reason why African-Americans and Latinos have so many
problems is because of all the racial stereotypes and biases they face from
both each other and other ethnicities," Hockett said.
Rather than lecturing about ways to "cross borders," Hockett used
various interactive teaching techniques in order to get his message across to
the audience including a "crossing borders" handbook, five arguments
that explain prejudice, group discussion, and peer mediation.
"This is a tool kit and a strategy for addressing issues, whether real or
perceived differences, between people who don't look alike, live alike or talk
alike," Hockett said.
Although the focus of the discussion was directed to the struggle between the
African-American and Latino communities, Hockett made it clear that his message
was not only a way to help one problematic relationship between specific ethnic
groups but also helps people of any race, religion or class.
"I thought that this discussion would be interesting. I like going to
different political and cultural events on campus. Hopefully I can use some of
this information that I have learned and share it with others," Erin
Buchanan, freshman pre-nursing major, said.
After discussing better communication tools and explaining how domination,
opportunity, and understanding were a necessity in building strong foundations
for "crossing borders," Hockett took the discussion to an even more
personal level.
"I am asking people to make this room, this discussion a safe place. I
want you to pair up and share your story with a stranger as a way of crossing a
border," he said.
Several students paired up with random people sitting beside them and told
their stories about incidences of domination or an opportunity they have faced
in their own lives.
"I am encouraging everyone, whether an immigrant or not, to cross borders
without permission at some point in their lives," Hockett said.
"Sometimes people invite us to cross borders but the majority of people do
not let us into their personal space."
