Students gathered Wednesday night to discuss on-campus discrimination at the Unite USC event after the widely-circulated photo of a USC student using a racial slur. And afterwards, we took the opportunity to reflect on the events of the past few days. We applaud the conversation that took place in the ballroom last night and hope that conversation is taking place all across campus.
Although this forum was held partially in reaction to the whiteboard photo, the students who attended made clear this was not an isolated incident. And we agree that discrimination is a big problem on this campus — there are plenty more examples to go around.
The discussion was not limited to white vs. black experience, and this should be an important point going forward. We shouldn’t draw lines in the sand between each other on any issue, much less race.
Another important point raised is the repudiation of the vitriol spewed at a USC student as a result of the viral spread of the story. Threats of violence and cyberbullying have no place in our community.
There was a lot of discussion about the role social media places in the discrimination on campus. Just think, the person you offend on Yik Yak could be the person you sit next to in class. Anonymity leads to troublesome behavior, especially when it comes to race.
Although condemning racism in print or in words is necessary, the most important reaction to this must be through actions. It can’t really come from administrative statements or making students sign a creed — it must come from the students themselves.
When a student says or does something racist, people around them must speak up and not just when it goes viral. If we do or say or think something racist, we must check ourselves.
Wednesday's forum was one step, but it was nowhere near enough. Too many racist things have happened on this campus, and it’s time that comes to an end. We're better than that, and we'll only really unite when we start acting like it.