September 18, 2015 - 16:55
Elena Luedy
Professor Cohen
E-Sem
9/16/15
Danger, Slippery when wet
When I hear the word slip or slippage, I often think of a silent movie-era comedy sketch where someone slips on a banana. In the context of Professor Dalke’s chapter, however this is not the meaning. When she uses the word “slip” she means to subconsciously relapse into a mental state you had moved past.
In class we went on the Black at Bryn Mawr tour, which was primarily led by a seemingly Caucasian woman that did much of the research for the tour. For many of the students on the tour, myself included, this made us a bit uncomfortable. The tour was about the oppression of black students, but we mostly heard about the white views on the subject from both the years past and today. When presented with a question as to why the former black residence Perry House was taken offline, the tour guide seemed to suggest it was just a matter of the amount of students housed in the Perry House vs the other residence halls. She later commented online saying that it was most likely due to the institutionalized racism that has been a major part of Bryn Mawr’s history. I’ll admit this later answer was the one I first expected when the student posed the question, although I would have also been rather taken aback if she had given this is the answer.
It may be because when I was young I went to a predominantly white elementary school, but I do not remember anyone talking about race growing up. Recently however, I hear more about race than ever. It might be that I have just become ‘awakened’ to the injustices faced by people of color. With the insurgence of the black lives matter movement, I find that I am often uninformed of many of the injustices faced by those of color.
I recently was made aware of something called “microaggressions”. To me, the concept of slippages go hand in hand with the concept of microaggressions. One definition of microaggressions is “The everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership” (from Diversity in the Classroom, UCLA Diversity & Faculty Development, 2014). I believe that most of the slippages people do at Bryn Mawr can often be categorized as a microaggression.
Although the tour we went on was primarily concerned with the injustices faced by black students at Bryn Mawr, I think it is important to acknowledge the inequalities that other students of color experience. As Stephanie Nixon discussed in one of the meetings during customs week, even she would not have been allowed at Bryn Mawr not that long ago. I find it interesting that Bryn Mawr boasts impressive numbers when it comes to campus diversity –one of the reasons I liked it so much during the application process- however has such a rich history in white supremacy. I could understand perhaps if this tradition in particular was one that occurred for the first few years and fell out of favor, yet it seems to have lasted an absurd amount of time. To think that as recently as the last few years, the residence predominantly for black residents could be so neglected as it to be declared unlivable seems beyond my beloved Bryn Mawr.
With reference to Professor Dalkes chapter on the incident at Bryn Mawr with the confederate flag, I do not think it was an example of a “slip” or a “microaggression”. I believe it was a blatant symbol of the way the college has held racist ideologies for so long, and sparked a much needed discussion about race. Had this event not occurred during the time of the black lives matter movement as well as support from people of all backgrounds, I do not know that the college would have reacted in the same way it did. Certainly if it had happened during the time of M. Carey Thomas there would have been no such ‘community day of learning’. I believe the college has come a long way since the days of the namesake of Thomas Great Hall. I also believe there is a long way to go before the Bryn Mawr can claim they are no longer plagued by the foundation they were built on.