I was blessed to once again be invited to speak at Loyola University of Maryland to a group of students who were preparing to be dispatched to serve various community organizations in the Baltimore area. For many years now, the Jesuit University has focused resources toward sensitizing a select group of their college students to service and social justice. In their effort to educate the “whole student”; they match students with various direct service or advocacy organizations in the city, but not before leading them through an orientation complete with group exercises, reading, and self-reflection.
As a clergy activist, I’ve been invited to share with these students for the past two years and have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with them. This year as I prepared to speak to them, I thought I would offer up something different during my presentation that I hoped would provoke and challenge them to deep self-reflection as it relates to the topic of White Privilege and racial prejudices. To this group of White students who primarily came from affluent backgrounds and were preparing to serve in Baltimore’s Black community I said the following:
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It is my honor to be here sharing with all of you at-risk youth today. You can be assured that this is a cherished opportunity for me as I have for the past 10 years committed myself to working in underprivileged communities such as this one. And though you are disadvantaged youth – with many of you probably coming from broken families – I want you to know that you can grow up and be anything you want to be. You don’t have to be a statistic.
Though the temptation is real; you don’t have to grow up and be “white collar criminals”. You can be better than that.
Though you come from politically violent communities; you don’t have to grow up get elected to public office and perpetuate political violence by gentrifying communities of color. You can be better than that. Though the shameful history of your university is one that reveals that its prominence was paid for on the backs of Africans who were owned by Maryland’s Society of Jesus; I want you to know that you can embrace a fuller humanity and a more genuine Christianity. You can be better than that. It doesn’t matter to me where you come from or the conditions you had to deal with – you can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it. To you little White boys in here – who says you can’t grow up and be the next Vice President of the United States. Look what Joe Biden has accomplished! To you little White girls in here, you can grow up and be the next Heidi Klum. If she can make it, you can too! Don’t let anybody tell you what you can’t be. Just work hard. Don’t hang around the wrong White people. And show the Black Community that you can rise to their standard of excellence. Despite your past and your complexion, I’m here to say you have promise in your future. I leave you with those three words, expressed by that great Black leader, Jesse Jackson – keep hope alive!
Thank you.
What's was the students reaction to this?
Hi, Charles. The first reaction was complete silence. After I asked for students to share how they felt about my presentation, there were mixed views. Some questioned the judgement of those who invited me, others were obviously offended, but there were some who "got it" and appreciated what had just happened. Apparently, news of my presentation spread through parts of the campus and discussions were born around the issues raised in my sharing.
I applaud you, Rev. Brown, for taking that step way out there and challenging the students to think about their role and about the way African-American young people are usually treated. I suspect Loyola has a certain motivation for working in the communities surround it — could it be to ensure the safety of their students? Are the contemplating expansion? Are they "giving" their students "real" world experiences? Or is it more wholistic than that? Will they open the campus to the community? Will they admit community youth to Loyola to study? Will they work WITH the community to move the community agenda forward? AND are the people who represent the community fully representative? Will the students be working with people they are uncomfortable being in the same room with? It is time for predominately white universities in Baltimore to look closely at their privilege, their assumptions about the black community as well as their assumptions about what a remade community looks like.
Thank you, Rev. Brown, for confronting these “select” students. It’s an unfortunate reality that, as you experienced, a number of these young white people are so naïve that they were insulted. Is there a way of directing this particular group to a deeper study—beyond the activities of their “sensitizing” orientation—of their privilege and ignorance before they are “unleashed” on Black communities where they can do harm? As I’m sure you know, good resources are available here in Baltimore should Loyola University commit to REAL service for all Baltimore communities.
Thanks for replying Christiana, I applaud you and your group for what you are doing. Educating your students about privilege and oppression will surely assist them as they aid oppressed communities. I hope that after this two-week of training that there are followups throughout each semester. When dealing with issues of race, gender, class etc. two often once the training shock wears off we all tend go back to business as usual, which in the case of volunteers cab be hurtful to others. Again keep up the good work.
Wow! Awesome! I just wonder whether you will be invited back. Very courageous, necessary, on-point. I applaud you Pastor Brown.
You are an idiot racist and bigot. No wonder people were objecting to you being there.
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I do like the manner in which you have presented this difficulty and it does provide me some fodder for thought. On the other hand, because of what precisely I have witnessed, I simply just wish as the opinions stack on that people keep on point and in no way start on a soap box regarding some other news of the day. Anyway, thank you for this superb point and though I do not really go along with the idea in totality, I regard your standpoint.
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