Digging deep with DIRT talks

The Center4ME hosts its final forum for the semester on stereotypes

The Center for Multicultural Enrichment (Center4ME) hosted its last Diversity, Integration, Reconciliation and Transition (DIRT) talk of the spring 2017 semester entitled, “Stereotypes: ‘More to me than the eye can see’” Thursday, April 13 at the Center4ME in the Montview Student Union.

The forum-style DIRT talk focused on dismantling stereotypes cross-culturally, particularly Asian-Americans/Pacific Islanders, by educating students on the effects stereotypes have on students culturally and domestically.

The event hosted 55 students and provided a safe space for students to share their experiences on and off Liberty’s campus regarding stereotypes, regardless of their particular ethnic group.

“Bringing together a diverse group of people at DIRT talks and having a multitude of perspectives shared is very necessary and adds value to the college experience,” Melany Pearl, executive director for the Center4ME, said.

“Candid conversations happen all the time, in the Rot, in the residential halls, in the C-Lab, but they usually happen with a group of friends who may all share the same opinions. DIRT talks allow for an exchange of ideologies and opinions”

The event started with a thought-provoking activity which aimed to challenge students to confront their personal biases and distinctiveness.

Students in attendance were asked to fill out a 10-question poll that asked things such as “Who is your favorite actor,” “Who is your favorite musician,” and “Who is your role model?”

The students were then challenged to place a correlating color M&M into a cup with each color representing a certain ethnic group and asked to place a color that correlated with the ethnicity of the person the participant chose.

The purpose of the game was to allow students to become aware of what ethnic groups they related to.

At the end of the activity, students noticed that no one had yellow M&M’s in their cups, which was a reflection of the underrepresentation of Asian/Pacific Islanders not only in media but in our everyday lives.

Jose Hernandez, associate director for the Center4ME who aids in the oversight of the Center4ME’S LEAD Fellowship, cultural excursions and the DIRT Talk, stressed the importance of facilitating dialogues such as this in hopes of fostering awareness,
community and conversation.

“Stereotypes cause us to utilize broad labels for people,” Hernandez said.

“These labels oversimplify and remove the complexity of emotions, environment, circumstances and spirituality on the development of students. When we take time to communicate with people of other groups, races, ethnicities, etc. we could learn to appreciate differing points of view, experiences and cultures, and celebrate differences and empathize in our similarities.”

The event ended with a PowerPoint presentation highlighting cultural differences through the use of stereotypes found in White, Black, Hispanic and Asian cultures such as “All Asians are good at math,” “Black women are loud and aggressive,” “Hispanics come from large families,” and “Whites are not diverse.”

“People who come frequently to our events will hear something they have never heard at the beginning,” Hernandez said.

“And when topics become broad, they will realize how similar we still are, and I pray that it could serve as a bridge between cultures.”

For more information or to participate in events that celebrate cultural diversity, visit the Center4ME located in the Montview Student Union or contact (434)-592-4020.

williams is a news reporter.