About 50 students gathered at the School of Education Building Thursday to create a healing and conversational space to discuss anti-Blackness and other forms of racism on campus.
The event was organized by the Students of Color of Rackham, an organization for Rackham graduate and professional students at the University of Michigan. The organization is dedicated to the social, cultural, political and academic well-being of students of color representing diverse cultures, ethnicities and international origins.
Rackham student Roslyn Kent, a chemistry Ph.D. candidate and the president of SCOR, said SCOR provides graduate students of color with needed support and motivation.
“Today’s event is to serve as a response to the events happening nationally and on campus,” Kent said. “We come together to talk about who we are as a community and what’s affecting it. … When situations happen nationally and on campus, we know people want to talk about it. We want to pull people out of their safe spaces and bring them together in a different safe space to talk.”
LSA freshman Alexandra Owens expressed her appreciation for Thursday’s dialogue. She said she was glad to hear different people’s perspectives, in addition to brainstorming ideas on how to take action.
“You can complain all day, but there actually needs to be change,” Owens said. “I believe this healing space is a great way to do it.”
Rackham student Paulina Fraser, an Educational Studies Ph.D. candidate, also believes the event was important because the space is needed.
“Having SCOR organize this community conversation, especially gearing the conversation around actionable items, helps to gives us a solid foundation of what we can do as a graduate community, graduate community of color and as students to support everything that is occurring on campus,” Fraser said.
Fraser also said she was happy to be able to network with other students on campus in the wake of last week’s events.
“We are able to mobilize, organize and still use our voices not oly to fight what’s going on but to find joy,” she said.