​Share each other’s experiences

In yesterday’s editorial, we discussed the value of designating spaces for cultural identity groups on campus. Today we turn to the importance of continuing engagement with and awareness of our student body’s diversity. Through statistics our University boasts the value it sees in having a diverse student body, yet we do not often take the time to explicitly and personally consider as students, faculty and administrators our commitments to understanding each other’s values, backgrounds and identities.

To those who ask why diversity matters in our community, we urge you to consider your role as a concerned citizen rather than a defender of speech. As citizens of our Duke community, we are minimally charged with respecting one another in our values and identities. It is our duty to recognize identity’s multiplicity and how that manifests for different people in different contexts. As we all yearn in our own ways for the freedom to express ourselves when being conscious of our identities, we should lend to others the freedom we seek in our vulnerable moments. Whether the discomfort is vocalized or only felt personally, nobody wants to feel invalidated for their race, gender, sexuality, disability or other facet of identity.

We can also understand the importance of conscientious diversity as engaged scholars. Studying identity in ourselves and in others academically is a window into human kindness and understanding. These fundamental emotions put the responsibility on us to learn about scopes of identity in our time at Duke. Ideas and problems surrounding identity and empathy do not evaporate when we leave Duke and enter the job market. Whether at Goldman Sachs, a tech-firm or another university, understanding one another and the value of identity is essential to problem-solving, avoiding conflict and working collaboratively and authentically with other people. There is no graduating from these themes of human interaction and compassion.

As the dialogue surrounding diversity enters the mainstream through media trends and events like recent backlash about the whiteness of the Oscars—and it borders on cliche—we encourage students to better learn how to talk to one another. This means not merely celebrating victories such as the expansion of the Center for Multicultural Affairs but becoming participants or even the leaders behind such changes that elicit heightened awareness in our community.

While students may hesitate to pose questions or say something for fear it causes offense or discomfort, it is okay and in fact an important first step to simply Google unknown terms. Perusing The Bridge and other campus and online publications are great steps along the way. We can also talk to each other, exchange personal stories and be courageous enough to inquire about someone’s background. We can ask questions; dare to be uncomfortable and dare not to know; be open to being wrong and be understanding of offense. While we should not place the burden on marginalized students to answer these questions, the character of our University insists on a level of open dialogue to promote our community’s growth.

Students need to be honest with themselves and each other. We need to acknowledge existing power dynamics that underlie how students do and do not ask each other about identities and experiences. We need to acknowledge that students feel hurt, and we must ask ourselves what we can do differently to make this University one where we can each grow in empathy and understanding. By striving to habituate practices like these in ways great and small we can cultivate an atmosphere in which our experiences are not just collected but empower each of us.