'Racial Trauma Is Real': WFU's Office Of Diversity And Inclusion Weighs In On Discriminatory Video

Wake Forest University is responding to a student video posted this past weekend in which a racial slur targeted a black Resident Advisor. It was seen by thousands of people and prompted wide condemnation. The student in question is no longer enrolled in the school, but the event has left its mark on the campus community.

"These words are used in violent situations," says Wake Forest's Matthew Williams with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. "I had a friend tell me that if a word has blood on it and when people are using these words as a way to attack and assault someone else, then that's not something that you want to use or incorporate into your own vocabulary."

Williams shared suggestions for healing with WFDD's David Ford.

Interview Highlights

On the impact of videos like the one recently posted by the (former) WFU student:

Social marginalization is real as well as racial trauma. Folks who have been systematically disadvantaged over generations. We see that with people of color, we see that with women, people who are differently abled, and their level of access to resource and opportunities. So, when you have an incident where a pejorative or racial epithet is used, it really is a reminder and is situated in a history of discrimination. And so, you can feel isolated. You are angry. One of the things we discuss is the sense of self-blame. And sort of holding your breath in hopes that someone will not try to project a judgement or an assumption on you because of your identity. Those are some things that many folks who are part of marginalized groups have to deal with in addition to feeling insulted and attacked and further marginalized through hateful and bigoted actions like the ones we saw in the video.

On the shared responsibility of educating oneself about issues of race in America:

As a member of a marginalized group, or as a person of color, or person who holds several marginalized identities, the burden of education is often placed on you — for you to be a spokesperson for your race or for whatever identity you hold. And while the exchange of experiences and cultures is something that we celebrate, it is important for people to do their own research and come to understand identities that are different from your own through exposure to films and books, and any other way that really gives you access to a world that you may not be fully familiar with. In relation to the recent events, there's a lot of speculation, a lot of hearsay, and we do have a common set of facts that we're operating from. So, we encourage people to turn to those things to set a base foundation for conversation. Often when we are talking about issues related to racial identity, and particularly Black Lives Matter, there are folks who share the belief that 'if you don't view me as being fully human, then how can we even start to have a conversation about this particular identity?' So, that's why it's important for you to educate yourself, to have a base knowledge and understanding of an identity that's different from your own, to ground yourself in a human experience, so that that exchange can feel equal.

What can we learn from an incident like this one?

These moments where hateful and bigoted speech occur are very real and should be taken very seriously. And I think our response in these moments has to be very intentional and careful. I encourage people to really mine themselves for any biases they might hold; sort of do a gut check. Because these things do not happen in isolation. They actually happen more often than not. And so, if we are going to move forward as a community, as a nation, we really have to start owning our stuff, and doing the personal work of starting to unravel and build, what we call in neuroscience, new maps and new connections that give you a better and enriched perspective about experiences that are different from you. It's only going to be in the acceptance and appreciation of our multicultural world that we really become stronger as a people.

Ed. Note: This story has been updated to include interview highlights.