No assimilation without representation

Last week, a group of students from various walks of life came together to participate in the first Diversity Monologues competition held at Gonzaga. The night was filled with emotions from contestants and audience members who were able to gain insight on different interpretations of beauty from the participants in the event. The Diversity Monologues event served as a platform for quieted voices to be heard on campus and for the audience to understand the day-to-day struggles that plague some students on campus. As a participant in the event, I was approached by a number of new faces at GU thanking me for the event and for sharing my story because it was beautiful and eye-opening.

With this event having such a heavy impact on the participants and the audience members, I was shocked to discover that there was no coverage of the story in last week's Bulletin. To me, this story needed a place in the Bulletin (especially over a front page story on cheap apartments). Why was this story left out, even though representatives from the Bulletin were at the event? To me, it is inexcusable to not recognize the impact the Diversity Monologues had on those who witnessed the power of narratives that night. Leaving out a story on the Diversity Monologues brings about a number of questions regarding my place at GU. What do I need to do to get my voice recognized on campus? Do I have a place where my voice is represented on campus? What does the lack of representation of the narratives from the Diversity Monologues say about the power of marginalized student voices on campus? The other participants and I had great courage in standing on stage and sharing major insight into our own lives, and expected to see some type of story covering the impact of the event. The dead hand turned toward our event shows that, on this campus, there is a great deal of selectivity regarding who and what gets recognized and what does not.

I feel as though the only way to have my voice heard on campus is to have a position with GSBA or RHA. I am not attacking GSBA or RHA (GSBA reps. were actually at Diversity Monologues and served on the Diversity Monologue Planning Committee); however, I am calling out both the politics and political apathy that create underrepresentation and lack of exposure for marginalized groups on this campus. The lack of understanding or care that is demonstrated through inaction (such as leaving out mention of Diversity Monologues from the Bulletin) further distances my own connection to this campus and community. Until there is equitable treatment and representation of marginalized groups and students on campus, full unity in the GU community will never be fulfilled.