I am writing this article in response to Andrew Petersen’s column, “#DePauwCares.” Before I respond, I would like it to be known that I am black, a woman and I identify myself as a member of the LBGTQ community. Now these parts of my identity are not tools I use to make my statement more valid. I just mean to say I cannot remove these aspects of myself. You put on rainbow socks and wrote “PROUD” on your chest. While your identity as a gay male was concealed prior to that moment, I do not have that luxury. Take one look at me and it is clear that I am a self-identified, black, gay woman. These are not identities that I can take on and off as if they were mere pieces of clothing.
I do not wish to take anything away from you. I am happy that you were comfortable enough in your sexuality to proudly stand in front of the protesters who called you a “fucking faggot.” I will admit that the hate spewed from the mouths of those who dared to call themselves “Christians” was harmful to any student who walked by; however, I am sure that the student you referenced did not intend to make you feel that your feelings are illegitimate. But I do believe that you missed the reason why the forum was called.
Let me be clear: If the Christian extremists had protested, and the counter-protesters had protested back and each party went their separate ways, then there would have been no forum. The presence of the protesters did not inspire the forum. Four police officers perceived two black males (a student and a staff member) as threats to everyone else, and they forcibly threw them to the concrete. The forum was called because the DePauw “community” watched this happen, and the real threats to our campus got to walk away.
And despite what President Casey’s email said, he was not the one who came up with the idea of the forum. In the political fashion, he said what he had to in order to get students there. I promise you, if the email said anything about the treatment of the black males on this campus, not nearly as many people would have attended on Wednesday.
The forum was an open platform for discussion about campus climate issues. So yes, there were people of color there calling out the injustices that they witnessed not only that day, but also every day on this campus. The people of color on this campus were told by the administration (in the form of small printed cards) that the administration was listening and that they cared. So we will not apologize for our anger, our rage and whom we choose to direct them at because you see it as counter productive. Women of color on campus have been at the forefront of movements and our work, our events and our activism gets erased by the assumption that, DePauw, as a whole, “cares”. We do this work because the intersectionality of our gender and our race are intrinsically tied to our experiences. We will call out the people that have promised us change but have not delivered it.
I challenge you and other students who share your sentiments about last Wednesday to talk to a person who sat on those steps and allow yourself to listen to what they have to say; you may just be enlightened to see the campus differently. Understand that, not only did we have to fight the protesters, we now have to challenge our white peers to get them to understand that the people of color on this campus do not trust the administration to protect us (this is not to say that it is all our white counterparts as a whole, just those who don’t see or support the viewpoint that we have). The administration has not protected us before, and they did not protect our black brothers when they were pinned to the ground Wednesday afternoon. Here is a perspective through the eyes of someone who doesn’t feel supported by the “caring” and inclusive DePauw “community”. While President Casey’s email suggested that the forum was called to achieve campus solidarity, the ultimate reason was an attempt to provide the students a place to discuss the treatment of my black brothers by the Greencastle Police Department.
-Simmons is a senior communications major from Queens, New York.