Fordham University Students “Dialogue and Chill” over Controversial Topics
BRONX, NY- Mid-afternoon on a sunny Thursday at the Fordham University Rose Hill Campus, a small group of Fordham students, grad students, and faculty met for a discussion on diversity. In a small room in McGinley, the group assembled to discuss Colin Kaepernick’s recent protests during NFL games. The flyer posted around campus advertised a “dialogue and chill” hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Colin Kaepernick is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49’ers who began kneeling this preseason during the national anthem. Kaepernick’s silent protest is in solidarity with oppressed minorities, and also against police brutality. Kaepernick said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” His movement has gained momentum, and NFL players from multiple teams have joined him in kneeling or sitting during the national anthem. The backlash from this was swift, and many arguments among NFL fans have arisen.
Sierra De Gale is a graduate intern who works for the Office of Multicultural Affairs. She explained how she decides on discussion topics. “We try to talk about a lot of hot issues that we feel students have strong opinions about…And Kaepernick, and race and police brutality have been a standing issue for a very long time so we felt like that was really important to discuss.”
Sierra was the group facilitator, and first asked everyone to introduce themselves. She then turned serious, stressing the confidentiality of the discussion. She said it was important that what people say in the space stays confidential, and that everyone feels comfortable sharing their opinions. The assembled group was small but diverse. There were graduate students, undergraduates, resident assistants, and even resident directors in attendance. Some were cultural studies majors but not all, and there were attendees of multiple races.
Sierra began the discussion by playing a post-game interview with Kaepernick that described the protest in his own words. She then prompted a discussion on what the group thought of Kaepernick’s protest, and what it means to protest the national anthem. Some students discussed what flags mean in other countries, some attendees had parents who immigrated and others had lived in other countries themselves. Student’s different cultural backgrounds impacted how they defined American patriotism.
The conversation then shifted back to Kaepernick’s protests. The group questioned why so many people were unhappy with Kaepernick’s choice to protest by kneeling during the national anthem. The students questioned if Kaepernick was the appropriate leader for the police brutality movement, while others pointed out, if not Kaepernick, then who?
The discussion then turned to police brutality and when it is acceptable for police officers to use deadly force. Eleni Koukoulas, a senior, was happy with how the discussion turned out, and surprised herself by speaking up. “When I first went to this dialogue I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It sounded like an interesting topic so I went mostly to listen. I did speak up a few times though, we have police officers in my family and they are good cops. I wanted to make sure they were represented in this discussion. Sometimes people need to be reminded not all cops are corrupt.”
The discussion began to run over the allotted time frame as the group’s voices rose and fell with passion. At this point everyone had spoke up at one point or another, and the conversation had taken off without the need for Sierra to prompt the group with questions.
Leah Ibrahim Puri, a diversity peer leader, who also lead the discussion, described why she thinks difficult conversations like these are important. “I think that people need to be more bold about talking about these things because if we don’t talk about them then it’s always just going to be a problem that everyone is festering.”
Students interested in attending one of these discussions should speak with the Office of Multicultural Affairs or check the office’s Instagram page. This is one of multiple dialogues the Office of Multicultural Affairs will be hosting as part of its dialogue and chill series.