Perspectives of Black Students at Regis University

By Paige Robinson, Staff Photographer

During Black History Month 2023, I was curious to hear different perspectives from other Black students than myself to engage in their different stories, experiences, advice, and more. Along with me wanting to hear from my peers, I also wanted others to listen and understand what life might be like for a Black student, especially attending a PWI (predominantly white institution). Some responses may be what some expect, while other responses may come as a shock. Many times, Black voices are silenced so people can avoid hearing the hard truth about our lives and our history. I want to put an end to that, and I really hope people can truly feel for the Black students. The responses to the questions below will reflect how each student differs, but also connect. Other fellow Black students can also read this and know they are not alone. This is for those to understand the realities of the minority community, the good and bad.

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Racism Within the Royal Family

By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer

Meghan and Harry were recently able to share their story in their first public interview. The recent interview has answered many questions regarding Meghan’s experience entering the royal family, but also led to many more questions surrounding race. In the interview conducted by Oprah, Meghan brought up a conversation held between her husband and his family that discussed what the color of their children's skin will look like. This is not Meghan’s first time having to deal with racism, however the racial issues faced by her children before birth was surprising to say in the least.

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A Letter from ASA: Stop AAPI Hate

Provided by ASA

In light of the tragedy within the AAPI community in Atlanta, we wish to share our thoughts with Regis University. 

We, Asian Student Alliance, condemn this tragedy as a racially-charged hate crime fueled by white supremacy. This recent incident is one of many in a history of hate against the AAPI community, and unfortunately, the rhetoric in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased this discrimination and harassment. It has been reported that there were over 3,800 instances of discrimination in the past year (Stop AAPI Hate https://stopaapihate.org/reportsreleases). Types of discrimination include verbal harrassment, physical asaault, civil rights violations, and online harassment.

At the heart of this issue is the model minority myth. This myth perpetuates the idea that Asian people have more privilege than other people of color. This creates tension between communities of color and blindsides us from the real issue, which is white supremacy. The model minority myth was originally a political tool used by white supremcists who claimed that racism doesn’t exist—since Asians were a “successful” people of color, hardships among other communities of color were attributed to laziness. This is a false and harmful claim because it leads to other issues, including the segregation of education amongst East Asians and South East Asians. It also covers up the racist past of the US Government and ignores how white supremacy has used Asian people as a scapegoat for previous immigration and job issues, as was evident in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.  

The rhetoric that blamed COVID-19 on Asian countries has created a bigger target on our backs, especially for those in the elderly community because they are considered an easier target. Again, this feeds into the harmful myth that Asian people will not fight back because they are considered non-confrontational. Scapegoating the AAPI community in this way has clear and deadly consequences.

For this reason, we are disheartened by the portrayal of this attack as motivated by a “sex addiction” rather than race. In reality, these issues are interconnected. The AAPI community has endured decades of stereotyping, all of which have caused the AAPI community to be perceived as foreign. This has caused a dangerous fetishization of Asian people that, as we saw already, can prove to be life-threatening. Asian women are especially at risk; Stop AAPI Hate reports that women in the AAPI community experienced 2.3 times more hate incidents when compared to AAPI men. Reducing the problem to a “sex addiction” prevents us from addressing the real issues at hand. We must instead address the harassment these women have faced and the reasoning behind it.

Furthermore, we are disheartened by the claim that this was simply a “bad day” for the domestic terrorist who attacked the parlor in Georgia. This excuse minimizes the devastation of this attack. As a society, we have witnessed how women are forced to internalize their “bad days.” Meanwhile, men are excused for committing hate crimes on their “bad days.” Neither outlet should be accepted.

We understand that this is not an easy subject to talk about. Our best recommendation is listening. We want our voices to be both heard and echoed. The best help you can provide is through extending our message to others. The Asian community has already spent decades suffering from stereotypes that encouraged us to stay quiet.

This is true of other communities of color, too; however, we wish to address that this issue should not be compared to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Our problems and communities each suffer from our own struggles and histories. Forcing a comparison between the two can downplay the realities that both communities face. 

We don’t expect you to relate to the issues we have shared with regards to the AAPI community, but we plead for recognition in a society that has tried to silence us. We are optimistic that the rest of the university will follow suit in our call to action.  Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. May their memories live on through the actions we take to become a better country. #STOPAAPIHATE

Resources:

https://stopaapihate.org

https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co