A Reflection on Dr. Craig Steven Wilder’s Visit to Campus
Dr. Craig Steven Wilder, PhD, MIT professor, author, prison reformer and social activist, was on the Dalhousie campus March 28th and 29th as the initial speaker in the 2018 Belong Forum series devoted to diversity and inclusion. His book Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities details how many universities were founded on and sustained through the slave trade.
During one of the informal sessions following the Forum, a student asked how to generate change if students from different cultural groups are not interacting with one another? This made me wonder, if the students at Dalhousie are not encouraged to foster relationships beyond their own communities and personal comfort, how then do we effect change? Dr. Wilder referenced the Black Lives Matter movement, which started in 2013 and is active on many university campuses. One reason for the effectiveness of the movement is that it attracts support from the whole community, not just from students of colour. He suggested that an effective method to raise awareness of longstanding issues is to have a coalition of student and faculty voices joining together.
The best way to accomplish change is when the whole community lends its collective voice. I applaud President Florizone for the many efforts he has supported to truly make Dalhousie a learning community for all. However, if the entire community, including faculty and staff, don’t actively and intentionally adopt his approach, university initiatives will lack impact. We can only generate true change if the beneficiaries of the power imbalance are willing to step outside of their comfort zones and join the struggle, which occurs daily for those who are from marginalized groups. Dalhousie as an institution will continue to deal with the undertone of exclusion that has been a constant presence in the lives of people of colour and other minority groups on this campus, if the entire community does not lend their voices and their efforts to making this an environment where all are welcome.
A comment that Dr. Wilder made in another informal discussion was about his own student experience at an undergraduate university. He felt so grateful for the opportunity to get an education that he endured many racist slights and aggressions aimed at him without seeking recourse. On reflection, however, he wondered at his naiveté and why he didn’t act to defend himself in the moment, because he knows that having access to and getting an education is nothing to be grateful for. Accessing education is the right of people of colour and traditionally disenfranchised populations, just like it is for all other students. If supports need to be put in place to create equity, let’s do it with an understanding of our history.
As I reflect on the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, I can’t help but acknowledge that, to some extent, we have come a long way in opening educational opportunities to people of colour. The opportunities may not have been given freely but I am optimistic that change will continue if we persist in making our presence known and voices heard.
Dr. Wilder’s presentation and subsequent discussions made me reflect on my travels through our educational system. By the time I arrived on this university campus as a very mature student, I knew it was my right to be here.
The Belong Forum continues throughout Dalhousie University’s bicentenary with a variety of diverse speakers. I hope the Dalhousie community – faculty, staff, students, and alumni – take advantage of the opportunity to support diversity and inclusion in this and other ways on campus. I can’t wait to hear these speakers to see how they will challenge my thinking.