Administrative Silence Does Not Help Racial Issues

BHAVNA MAMNANI ’22
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Silence, among various responses to socially questionable acts, is by far the most infuriating. From Trump’s silence on family separations to our beloved College’s refusal to utter a word on the recent racist incidents on social media by students, we live in a time where no comment is the wrong comment. Recently, a social media post crafted by a white student calling individuals a “bunch f**king n*****s,” is circulating students’ daily conversations and sparking discussions about casual racism on campus. Although it is uncertain the race of the people in the post where the comment was posted, it is distasteful in any incident to blatantly showcase racism and ignorance. The disgusting comment has now been removed, but that hasn’t stopped us from posing questions about its legacy; students are now coming out about their own personal experiences with casual racism on campus and questioning why nothing has been done to stop this from happening over and over again.

The white privilege is blatant in this case. If a person of color were to make a similar comment, it is safe to assume that their consequences would not be so cryptic. Is Trinity going to continue to execute the classic American image that certain races have privileges or will the College actively become involved in preventative, educational measures?

Trinity’s sly avoidance of this topic by promoting diversity and student involvement, especially for students of color, forces me to wonder whether the comfort of minorities on campus genuinely matters. Is it possible to constantly encourage the diverse student body while simultaneously ignoring the perpetrators of their discomfort? The College needs to take proactive steps to assure the well-being of all students by promoting awareness against these acts because it is impossible for those who could be possible targets for similar acts to feel comfortable in a place where the administration will not take a proper stand on the issue at hand.

By forcing students to assume the College’s position on this matter, the idea that racism is deemed an unworthy conversation is only furthered. The fact that the comment is receiving attention is reason enough for a discussion: students can recognize casual racism and will call it out, but they have no real control over consequences or the prevention of a related event taking place unless the College steps in. It’s time for Trinity to recognize the severity of the situation and officially respond by condemning the act and taking measures to assure students that this will not happen again and if it does, there will be major repercussions.

It is impossible to expect students to simply “get over” this. The College so desperately holds off on commenting on this in hopes of having the issue fly over our heads in a few weeks’ time, but such an act of racism cannot be forgotten, especially for those who wake up every day and have to acknowledge the fact that their skin color is grounds for hatred. I hope our institution of education can fortify its inclusive image by responding to the occurrences instead of cowering in fear of possible backlash.