Letter to the Editor- Jan. 28, 2018

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The following letter to the editor was received on Jan. 28, 2018 and published on Jan. 29, 2018. 

#YoureNotAlone

Reflecting on the incident that occurred at the University of Oklahoma, I, as a Black student, truly stand in solidarity and support with the OU Black Student Association and OU Unheard.

This incident has caused me to take a look into our cultural climate here at the University of Central Oklahoma. I do not want us to look at the incident at OU as something that is only happening there but is also happening here at UCO.

On January 13, 2019, a white student, who no longer attends this university, did a live video on Instagram where she stated the n word and then said “ohh shit, I can’t say that on live” and then proceed to “shrug” and laugh it off. Many UCO students were upset, but still the video didn’t somehow go viral or up the UCO chain of command. Some of us (Black students) were sort of immune to the video because this happen on a consistent basis. We can never truly win in this argument however, factually and historically it has been shown that whites have used this word as a word to oppress Blacks.

I do not want to play the “victim” card, but I also do not also want us to negate the experiences that marginalize communities go through here at a predominately white institution. Yes, we may not have experiences that to the magnitude as the ones at the University of Oklahoma however, we have to understand that these institutions are a microscope of the larger society. Therefore, as a student here, I continue to strongly encourage the UCO’s administration, faculty, staff, and students, to truly understand and support the Diversity Round Table (DRT) Goals.

These goals include:

1. The Diversity Round Table goals is to actively advocate for a new and renovated Office of Diversity and Inclusion located in the Nigh University Center
2. The Diversity Round Table is to actively work with the University of Central Oklahoma Student Association to create initiatives that focused on increasing representation of underrepresented students within the association.
3. The Diversity Round Table goal is to actively advocate for more critical diversity classes that speak to exploring historical and modern-day cultural issues.

I urge everyone to look at the packet provided by DRT which explains each and every goal. This is located under the Diversity Round Table tab on the UCO Office of Diversity and Inclusion website.

My hope is to continue to see UCO be more than just a “diverse” institution but also a more inclusive and equitable institution.

It is our duty …

Student first,

Jordan Broiles

Student