INhere

How to: Be a Minority on Campus

by: Kevin L. Henry, Jr.

With the sounds of…crank dat soulja boy, of watch me crank and watch me roll, and of something about a superman and some inaudible sound thereafter, I begin to think. I begin to think about the popularity of that song in the United States. I then begin to think about the popularity of that song among Tulane’s majority and minority students alike. Prancing about in my dorm room to the rhythmic chant of the lyrics and to the almost spell bounding beat that accompanies the song, I find myself pleasantly thinking of what it means to be a minority group on campus. And does that include becoming more like superman?     

According to a recent statistical analysis of Tulane University’s student body population, our school is approximately 76% Caucasian. A staggering figure for some, this 76% figure forces me to really think about what it is like to be a minority on a predominantly Caucasian campus. Just in case no one else ever asked that. Certainly there are prevailing attitudes, and assumptions, and stereotypes, and misnomers that can have a negative impact on students.     

Having to contend with feelings of isolation, of invisibility, of respect (or lack thereof), and of attacks on ones intellectual ability and potential, can render one feeling helpless. These pernicious assaults can produce negative effects. It can potentially create resentment towards ethnicities other than your own, for example. Or take perhaps the feeling of isolation which can cause you to hold yourself hostage—by subconsciously or consciously not embracing yourself in regards to ethnicity.     

Culture shock and social isolation are two other potential obstacles. These issues are not exclusive to those paddling in the pool of being a minority, some majority students have never been exposed to a “brown, black, or yellow” person. In an American government class I took, a majority student did not realize that the term "coon" was a racially offensive slur. The student was ignorant of this fact perhaps by choice or perhaps from social isolation, but ignorant anyway. The best way to combat ignorance is through education!     

Start a healthy dialogue. It is best to communicate and establish a dialogue for understanding. Confront issues in a calm, rational way. Ask him or her, “did you realize that this is a racial slur?” If a professor seems to have issues with your ethnicity, the University of New Mexico suggests asking the professor if they have ever had problems in the past dealing with students of color or what their assumptions are regarding a student who  is the lone representative of their ethnic group and does not verbally participate in class? Do they call on minority students with the same frequency as white students?

 “Through confrontation, not retreat” are the words of Lauryn Hill. Confronting the problems through mature, rational conversation, such as the above questions, are means to becoming the instrument of change and understanding.
    
Though Tulane does give minorities a certain amount of freedom, expression, and representation, more often than not minorities remain on the fringes of Tulane society and awareness. We exist within a miniscule compartment labeled esoteric. I challenge you to start the conversation—first with yourself about who you are and how you identify yourself. Then with others. Diversify yourself. Also, join on-campus organizations; the Office of Multicultural Affairs has a laundry list of organizations looking for talented, bright individuals. So crank dat negative situation and superman all those problems and watch yooooou fly away into understanding, acceptance, and above all else happiness. And that’s the story of life. Until next time, love yourself and everyone else.