Students have an opportunity to engage in important racial dialogue as Ferris organizations continue to add race to the campus discourse.
The Office of Multicultural Student Services (OMSS) will host “Conversations on Race,” a campus dialogue series at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 26. The event will focus on three topics: Black Lives Matter, stereotypes and peaceful protests. Its goal is to facilitate an open discussion where students can share their experiences and concerns in a productive, respectful manner with a positive impact.
“We have some questions we’ll ask the panelists to get some more understanding about these kind of issues and the panelists’ personal experiences with them,” said Paul Hicks, Ferris communication student and co-chair of the organizing committee.
The panel will consist of students from different organizations, including the Hispanic Student Organization (HSO), Ferris’ student chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Black Leaders Aspiring to Critical Knowledge (BLACK) and You Beautiful Black Woman (YBBW). Members will first lead their own discussion followed by questions and an open discussion with the audience.
The event takes place at a time when college students around the nation are becoming more aware of racial issues and mobilizing to fight them. Black Lives Matter in particular, which is now a national movement, has energized students to protest and speak out against prejudice and racial concerns.
Conversations on Race will be open to the public and will take place in IRC Room 115.
BLACK will also host its own discussion Thursday, Nov. 10, about race and social awareness. Omari Barksdale, one of the founding members of BLACK, will be the special guest speaker for the event.
“We plan on sharing all different perspectives of life to grasp a better understanding of every race and culture on the campus of Ferris State University,” said Brian Chandler, Grand President of BLACK and committee head of the event.
The evening will aim to bring “awareness to college students, young black men and women, as well as citizens in general,” Chandler added.