Dear White People: Diversity and Inclusivity on Predominately White Campuses Transcends Past Mere Numerical Diversity
Posted: 8 May 2020
Date Written: November 29, 2019
Abstract
College is recounted as being some of the best years of a student's life. Once under adult supervision, this young individual gets a taste of what it means to be independent. Unfortunately, for most, choosing to participate in higher education is also their first glimpse into the biases of our society. Colleges are integrated, but only up to a certain point. A minority, more specifically a black student, can only assimilate into a predominately white learning environment if they become listeners in a room full of speakers. Blacks attending a predominately white institution are navigating in a white world. We are integrated, but only to the white experience. They sit in classes taught by mostly white professors, surrounded by white peers while learning about America through the lenses of the majority. Although predominately white institutions thrive on mottos of inclusivity and diversity, their white culture reveals the alternative. Admissions offices enrolling blacks onto their campus is often a means of meeting a quota. Predominantly white institutions may offer more courses in minority studies, but the white experience is still the main subject in a world full of insignificant objects. This article explores whether full racial integration is possible in higher education. Benefits to an integrated learning environment will be discussed, along with the a discussion regarding HBCUs and diversity. Lastly, this article will provide a means of answering the complicated question: do white people even want to go to a college that was more racially integrated?
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