“I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. … That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact.” — Ralph Ellison,“Invisible Man”
When you look in my direction, do you see me, or am I invisible to you? You may not acknowledge me when you fundraise in the Tyler Haynes Commons, sit with me in “that section” of the dining hall or go to “those parties” in the Pier on Saturday nights, but regardless, I am here, and so are many more like me. I am a student of color at the University of Richmond.
Many times I’ve wondered whether I’m actually visible to some white students here. Among the most salient was a study abroad information session in which a white student compared her experiences at the University of Richmond and abroad by matter-of-factly stating: “So obviously, we’re all white at U of R, and it’s not the same when you go to Senegal …”
Yet, we weren’t “so obviously white,” as this student declared. In the crowd sat American students of Asian, African-American and Latino descent, along with others who were born and raised abroad. But somehow we were not seen, and only the white students in the crowd were acknowledged as full members of the student community.
A similar situation occurred during a class discussion, when a different white student said: “All of my friends are white. I didn’t choose for it to be like that; it just happened that way but there’s not really any diversity at Richmond anyway.”
Friendships don’t “just happen.” Whether consciously or unconsciously, white students and students of color freely and selectively choose whom they establish friendships with, thus our groups of friends consist of certain types of people because we’ve chosen to make them our friends.
The student in the above scenario attempted to justify the racial homogeneity of her group of friends by claiming that our university’s lack of diversity prevented her from having multicultural friends.
Although I — and the Strategic Plan — agree that Richmond needs to increase its population of underrepresented minorities, I want to acknowledge that we do have some students of color at Richmond. Thus, any people who want to get to know someone who is racially or ethnically different than they are, have the opportunity to do so.
In sharing some instances when I’ve felt invisible on this campus, I am hoping to make a greater point about choice. We make choices every day of our lives about whom to acknowledge, befriend or engage in conversation — choices that shape the social world we inhabit.
I ask that you break out of your comfort zone and get to know students of color on this campus. Furthermore, I ask that you reach out to others across marginalized groups, including students who are multicultural American, international, handicapped, LGBT and religious minorities.
If you don’t reach out to the students in these groups, understand that your inaction also represents a choice. You have chosen to isolate yourself from others who may have different concerns, desires and outlooks than your own — and ultimately you have stinted your personal growth.
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