I have been a student at this incredible university for three long years, and in those three years, I have changed so much as a person. Sadly, that is not the case for everyone who has walked across this campus.
I recently overheard a complaint from a fellow student: “This university is full of nothing but liberals and I am tired of having to hear about black people in every class I attend. I shouldn’t have to answer for things I have never done.” It's not a unique complaint.
I have taken history classes that have taught me about early Christianity and the pointless genocides of Jews and Muslims. I have taken English and linguistics classes that have opened my eyes to often hateful language revolving around African Americans. And I have sat through many philosophy and sociology lectures that have explored the horrific details of the pain that Native Americans have endured.
But what I do not understand is how teaching these subjects makes anyone a liberal. Since when is factual history and educating our youth on the truth deemed as being a liberal?
It is not a secret that our public-school system in South Carolina has failed us. In fact, I am sad to say we ranked almost dead last in the country in education in 2017. So, it should come as no surprise to you that many of us are, in fact, uneducated upon arriving at this university. Textbooks all over the country are being altered to cover the crimes of our ancestors, and although these are horrible truths, they are truths that must be told and taught.
These horrific events do impact the world we live in today. If we do not reflect on our country’s history, we will never be able to grow from it. The legacy of slavery and genocide exists. We walk across a campus where bricks were laid by slaves. That is why it is important that we have a Black History Month, to better try and understand our problems we are still facing today, whether we want to admit to them or not.
Yet, when scrolling through “Rate My Professor” during registration time, a complaint I constantly seem to see is comments like the following, “all we talked about was racism in America in discussion.” So, I ask you, fellow students and faculty, why is this something you feel should not be discussed? This semester had only just begun when we had had racist flyers strewn about the campus. In the past month, we have had religious fanatics and bigots march in front of Longstreet Theatre with hate-filled (and, quite frankly, ugly) poster boards attacking your fellow students.
It is clear that racism is not dead, so why do some of my fellow students still feel it should not be discussed in class? This is not being a liberal, this is education, something that some of us are clearly lacking.
Yet, there is still hope. Many of our students do not tolerate this behavior. We have an incredible faculty that cares very much about what we learn and find it their responsibility to teach the truth as well as a loving university president who wants only the best for all our students. I just ask that you all listen with an open mind. As the famous philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”