On this episode of Expect Diversity, our host, Dr. David Pilgrim, is joined by students Mara Mitchell, Autumne Peoples, and Jonathan Gerald Diaz De Leon to discuss being treated differently or fitting in.
Dr. David asked the guests about their personal resources in order to understand their heritage and culture. Autumne Peoples, a senior in the Health Administration program, talks about her mom and grandparents and a specific memory with her grandma when her grandmother visited Autumne’s elementary school for Grandparents Day, where they invited another mixed-race child to sit with them. This then made Autumne’s elementary classmates give her the title of “one of the good ones,” reinforcing the stereotype that some individuals of a specific race are not good people.
Jonathan Gerald Diaz De Leon, a senior in the Digital Animation and Game Design program, talks about how his family is very supportive and close and that the family members who live in Mexico visit the States often and that any member of his family is a resource for learning about his heritage or how to deal with discrimination.
Dr. Pilgrim asks what the guests feel about the country being divided. Mara Mitchell, a freshman in the education program, states how it makes her feel annoyed and sad that people are put into groups when “we are all just people.”
Mara then talks about an experience she had when playing basketball at a game where she dove for an out-of-bounds ball, giving her the nickname Spidermonkey. Monkey is a derogatory term that uses Darwin’s theory of natural selection, meaning that black people are less evolved, which is offensive and incorrect. Autumne also tells an experience that she had in cheer about how she is stereotyped to be more dominant and physical even though she has asthma. Jonathan talks about this past summer and his experience encountering a Trump rally where he saw a sign stating, “All Mexicans and Hispanics are Bad.” he elaborates on his feeling of anger and how he had to keep his cool and drive away instead of speaking up.
Dr. Pilgrim then asks the students specifically about experiences at Ferris. All three students think their groups and friends have been inclusive. They’ve all been welcomed with open arms to any organization. Mara Mitchell, a freshman on the basketball team described her overall Ferris experience as amazing.
When the question arose about students feeling safe and welcomed, Autumne Peoples said although she feels physically safe on campus, feeling emotionally safe on campus is a little different. Because of everything happening in the world around us, while she does feel emotionally safe on campus, it’s difficult sometimes. However, she also points out that there are resources available to students to help.
To end the episode, our host returned to asking about their feelings about the future of the nation. Are they hopeful for the future? Are they concerned for the future? How do you feel about it?
Catch the entire episode above.