By: Maryela Gallardo, Follow South Jersey Community Journalist
As a student of color sitting in my classrooms, I really never felt like we were taught about the history of different cultures other than America. I think that because I was a student of color, I found more understanding among different cultures.
I grew up in a predominantly white elementary school and high school, so for a very long time, I had to take the extra steps to learn to accept myself and my culture. It is very difficult to understand that you are the same as your peers when there isn’t much appreciation in the media about people who look like you, or that your school doesn’t help promote inclusivity.
One of the devastations I found was that while attending my university, they got rid of anything that mentioned Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DEI). While the names of the department changed at the university, it made me think about why there was a need to get rid of this initiative. In my perspective, it was started to create safe spaces for students like me, so they could get comfortable in school. Especially, in predominantly white institutions (PWI) where students of color can feel like they are being outcast or facing discrimination.
I faced discrimination in elementary school due to the way I looked, and for many years I found myself to form insecurities. There was no support or DEI in my elementary school that I could remember to deal with these kinds of acts of bullying. It changes the way a child feels about themselves, it affects their want to go to school, decreases motivation, and impacts overall self-esteem. Without these DEI initiatives, how can we support students of color?
The current presidential administration stated that they wanted to end “illegal DEI discrimination,” and direct federal agencies to draw lists of private companies so they are investigated for their DEI policies. DEI policies have been known for the fair treatment and participation of all people no matter their race, sexuality or gender identity. For someone who needed those sorts of policies put in place in my elementary school, I couldn’t imagine how DEI would promote discrimination. I think it does the opposite, helping students learn about the effects of discrimination, and why all people should be celebrated.
While I attended Rowan University before they changed their DEI policies and programs, I learned so much about how different students of color are hitting incredible career accomplishments during their time at college. At Rowan, DEI helped promote events like Holi, a Hindu festival celebrating spring, new beginnings and love.
I learned about a club that I joined and was on their executive board for a year that has positively changed my life. Through Shades of Unified Love (SOUL), this organization helped teach me about queer history and acceptance of sexual identity. By hosting fun events like planting for Earth Day, teaching about queer accomplishments in technology and a panel on colonization and heteronormativity, it brought a space for queer students of color that needed to find a group like them.
Rowan University is classified as a PWI because of this, DEI initiatives and policies are beneficial to the minority who maybe cannot find a connection on campus. While these events can seem like a waste, like a fun board game night, for me it always felt like a safer place to be with people like me. Maybe that is because of my experience in discrimination during elementary school, but when I went to events surrounding DEI, I never felt outcasted.
The impacts of the removal of this initiative, creates a higher risk of marginalization for minorities, it could increase campus and workforce discrimination. Diversity in a university creates creativity because a community formed of different cultures that are united together inspires innovation. I think grade school me would have appreciated seeing these policies that promoted inclusion as it would have prevented discrimination. All students should be shown equal amounts of appreciation and love regardless of cultural background.
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