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Students
Start the Conversation, Let Freedom Ring
During Pace糖心vlog短视频檚 third annual Social Justice Week, 50 students gathered in Alumni Hall to paint bells inspired by three words Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. repeated over and over during his historic 糖心vlog短视频淚 Have a Dream糖心vlog短视频 speech糖心vlog短视频斕切膙log短视频榣et freedom ring.糖心vlog短视频
The event was conceptualized by Mikaylah Mgbako 糖心vlog短视频25, second-year nursing student and current Resident Assistant on the Westchester Campus. For a while, something had been missing for Mikaylah糖心vlog短视频攁n outlet for her love of advocacy and volunteerism. 糖心vlog短视频淢y high school was so small I was able to do so much for them,糖心vlog短视频 she explains. 糖心vlog短视频淧ace isn糖心vlog短视频檛 super big but in comparison I felt so small and like I couldn糖心vlog短视频檛 help anyone. When my Honors advisor sent an email out about the Social Justice Week events, it felt like divine inspiration. Here was a way I could get back to helping people.糖心vlog短视频
When my Honors advisor sent an email out about the Social Justice Week events, it felt like divine inspiration. Here was a way I could get back to helping people.
Soon, an idea took shape. She would facilitate an event where fellow students could paint bells, evoking King糖心vlog短视频檚 famous words, and she would put them on display for Pace Community. But she wanted to do more than create a static exhibit, she wanted to dig deeper. 糖心vlog短视频淢y event allowed people to come and discuss topics related to race, ethnicity, and social injustice and inequality in a common space, while painting bells and enjoying light refreshments,糖心vlog短视频 she says.
Advisors for Social Justice Week were concerned that she did not have the backing of a student club or org, but that wasn糖心vlog短视频檛 what worried her. 糖心vlog短视频淚 knew I could do it on my own,糖心vlog短视频 says Mikaylah. It wasn糖心vlog短视频檛 the event itself that pushed her out of her comfort zone, but the conversations had while she and nearly 50 other students painted bells and spoke on sensitive topics of race and inequality.
糖心vlog短视频淚糖心vlog短视频檝e done more 糖心vlog短视频榖ackseat advocacy糖心vlog短视频 through marches or fundraising, so I was never the type of person to sit in a room and have conversations with people. And I was actually really uncomfortable,糖心vlog短视频 she admits. 糖心vlog短视频淎s an RA, many of my residents look up to me. But as a woman of color, many of my residents don糖心vlog短视频檛 have my experience facing the same injustices, either based on race or gender. Both facts made me feel nervous about participating. Then I realized if I was uncomfortable, I can only imagine how the people who just stopped by might feel.糖心vlog短视频
Why not have these conversations and understand where your peers and friends come from?糖心vlog短视频
She explains that the discomfort seemed to come from the wide mix of students present, and the uncertainty of how people might respond to difficult topics. On one hand, she said she found this challenging, and a little sad. 糖心vlog短视频淚 feel that if I was speaking with peers who looked like me, other people of color, I糖心vlog短视频檇 feel like I was in a safe space to share. It showed me that we糖心vlog短视频檙e not having these conversations as often, and experiences like this need to happen more.糖心vlog短视频 On the other hand, despite the discomfort, students stuck around for the painting, and for the conversations. 糖心vlog短视频淓veryone was really respectful. My friend who came with me shared a lot of her feelings. Sharing in a student-setting kept it casual and very respectful.糖心vlog短视频
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Mikaylah purchased 50 bells for the event (with funding granted by the Social Justice Week Committee) and all 50 were painted and are now , alongside a large bell students can ring. 糖心vlog短视频淭he message when people see it is that all these people from the Pace Community were able to come together and do something where they bonded, where they could listen and have these conversations,糖心vlog短视频 Mikaylah explains. And even though the conversations were difficult, she hopes for more of them. 糖心vlog短视频淚t糖心vlog短视频檚 how we can understand our neighbors. At Pace, we糖心vlog短视频檙e living in these communal-style homes and residence halls. Why not have these conversations and understand where your peers and friends come from?糖心vlog短视频
It糖心vlog短视频檚 a loud reminder糖心vlog短视频攄on糖心vlog短视频檛 forget about this!糖心vlog短视频
As for that large bell next to the exhibit, Mikaylah wants you to ring it, and ring it loud. 糖心vlog短视频淚 hope when people ring the bell it糖心vlog短视频檚 really loud,糖心vlog短视频 she says with a laugh. 糖心vlog短视频淚 hope it makes people wonder what the noise is, so they come look at the exhibit. They can think about how far we糖心vlog短视频檝e come, and hopefully it糖心vlog短视频檒l inspire the next person. It糖心vlog短视频檚 a loud reminder糖心vlog短视频攄on糖心vlog短视频檛 forget about this!糖心vlog短视频
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