Diversity Walk

My blog is a little different, I was asked  by my our Student Government Association (SGA) to speak at their last diversity event for the year. I was told to not make it too long...LOL...Below I have included it. Be blessed, and remember always your actions have impact whether it is intentional or not. Choose wisely...
Diversity Walk

First I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight, and also thank Student Government Association (SGA) for asking me. I am the advisor but they did not have to ask me; I am honored. This walk is part of a decision made by SGA to address an issue that had come to them from a student here asking for assistance on this old habit but a different label – bullying. As they begin strategizing, more stories began to percolate about others being bullied because sexual-orientation, size, race, to name a few.  The decision were made by the SGA executive council to address the problems, that coincidentally falls under the umbrella of diversity. 

The diversity walk is the second event for SGA to bring awareness to this issue. The first was breaking the barriers that took place during the Fall semester.  Where SGA executive council members constructed a wall with sheetrock and plywood, inviting students to write the hurtful things that were said to them, and/or they found offensive. The wall was up for a week.  At the unveiling of the wall, Dr. LaTouche’ was invited as the guest speaker, to speak about the barriers. Dr. LaTouche’ explained how society consensus and norms are constructed and create barriers, not always intentional, because of cultural norms and accepted traditions. The wall stirred a little controversy to say the least when people actually saw what written on the wall, and the decision was made to put it behind a curtain, and take the explanation from on the side of the wall, and put it on the curtain so that everyone understood what it was about. At the end of week, all present, staff, students, administrator and faculty, were invited to symbolically ‘break the barriers’.

Tonight represent the culmination of their diversity program, and the intent of SGA is to show every one, Tarleton State University is a safe zone for all because we not only say we are family, we are. To show we can disagree without being disagreeable to one another.  We understand being disagreeable to what we disagree is about building walls, but not bridges to connect Tarleton Family. We accept each other, and believe you have the right to be you, without anyone weighing in with negativity to make you feel less than, or diminish your worth. Because if the truth be told, we all have something about our self, which another person could speak about in a negative light. In addition, we are all card carrying individuals of bias and personal prejudices as a result of our culture, faith, race, national origin, sexual orientation, social economic status, or learned core value from our upbringing. Yet, we came to school to expand not only enrich our academic knowledge base, expand our intellectual horizons, by challenging ourselves to move beyond the safe familiarity, comfort zone of the known to grow. Knowing it is not the landscape that has to change for change to begin, only our lens.

And lastly, whether we desire it or not, diversity is upon us, and we must face it with an open mind, or be left behind with a close one with walls that impede our desire progress. Knowing we cannot change the past, we do need to accept what we have done, and/or said through seeking and accepting the lesson.  So, as we take this walk around campus, think of one thing you can do to begin the change, you wish to see from this moment forward because each and every one of us represent a catalyst for change.