Multi-Ethnic Panel/Open Mic Night

While conversations around multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural identities have gradually been receiving increasing attention on Oberlin’s campus, these issues continue to remain on the relative margins of campus dialog. However, a few student groups have made deliberate efforts to rectify this situation by reviewing their organizational missions and structures, and organizing events to increase consciousness around multi-identity issues. Also, last Spring saw the formation of MULTI, a group created to support students with similar backgrounds and histories and to create greater visibility around their issues and concerns. Last semester, in addition to the Marrow- thon, the MRC also organized a panel and Open Mic Night for students from multi backgrounds. These events were proposed and designed primarily by students themselves. The panel, titled Perspectives from Outside the Box, addressed how students from multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-cultural, and crosscultural backgrounds reconcile multiple identities, break down barriers and find spaces of belonging. The student panelists included Ramaesh Bhagirat ’06, Elizabeth Friedman ’06, Emily Hazel ’06, Lee Hislop ’07, Marianne Tassone ’06 and Baraka Noel ’06 (chair). This panel was designed to be a conversation among the panelists as well as with the audience. Student panelists were asked to address a wide range of questions, including those dealing with personal histories and issues of internalized prejudice and representation within academia. Members of the audience also shared their own experiences and perspectives in relation to those offered by the panelists. This panel, organized during Family Weekend, drew a large audience from visiting families and friends. A number of parents in the audience spoke of their own experiences in raising multi children, their frustrations with societal prejudices and ignorance and their hopes for fostering greater understanding among people and communities. The evening ended with Stirring Up the Melting Pot, an Open Mic Night for students, families and friends. The responsibility for educating and raising awareness is not solely that of self-identified multi students. We hope that the dialog generated through these events will be sustained through the combined efforts of students, faculty and staff. We at the MRC look forward to continuing to work with and support students on these issues.