cover story WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM | PAGE 3
Fighting for unity, diversity to replace division BY LANGLEY LEVERETT
Arts & Entertainment/Opinions Editor She wants people to listen. She wants to speak with force and walk with purpose. She wants to shed light on her mission, her ancestors and her culture. Working with her club members, mentoring and tutoring incoming students, she is dedicated to not only making community, but inspiring the community around her. Dayja James is a sophomore biology major from McGehee, Ark., and serves as the president of Multicultural Organization Reaching Equality (MORE). James is committed to spreading diversity and inclusion in each program she’s involved with, including the Multicultural Student Programs (MSP), MORE’s gospel choir, TRIO and the Women of EEE. James has been involved in clubs like MORE since high school. She wants to fight against barriers that keep people in the dark. She believes that educating others and herself can prevent boundaries and encourage engagement. “We live in a world where we construct so many boundaries. It’s taking away from learning about who we are. We create these boundaries that are rooted in fear, and they prevent us from engaging with people,” James said. “My ancestors were seeking change and actively pursuing it, but also grabbing other people along on the journey. Like, let’s do this together, you and I. Black History Month is a time of celebration, a time of education.” James also believes that giving the proper attention to political and social matters is the first step in acknowledging the problem. These realizations can be unnerving, but she maintains that it’s a critical step toward true inclusion.
On the cover: Dayja James speaks with students during MSP’s back-to-school event in August. On this page: James is the president of MORE, is heavily involved in MSP and is part of the Women of EEE. (photos by Abby Blankenship)
“Paying attention to the state of our community and our country, these racial barriers and tensions run a lot deeper than what we see with our eyes. We have a lot of systemic stuff that’s going on, that’s deeply rooted in our country,” James said. “Inclusivity is going beyond my perspective. To stop thinking so sheltered. Being inclusive should never be completely comfortable.” With the recent events of 2020, from police brutality to nationwide protests, James has felt exhausted, angry, resigned and many other emotions throughout the last year. “The overwhelming feeling I felt was tired. It was a draining thing. When you wake up as a person of color, you don’t get to choose if you want to fight. You don’t have an option. Something that I want people to understand, that I
challenge people to understand, is that Black people are angry,” James said. “They’re enraged. There’s been so much injustice and it feels like we’re fighting and nothing is changing.” Black communities have dealt with generational trauma, realities of deep misunderstanding and severe injustice. James has noticed that many are confused, hurt and tired. Despite sorrow, James continues to encourage herself and others to keep moving forward — to keep answering questions, sharing their experiences and educating. “There are people who are tired of explaining that you can’t keep having these microaggressions against our people. There are people who are tired of saying you can’t take pieces of our culture and make it into something that you
want to throw around, like certain cultural hairstyles or stereotypes. A lot of people like to embody those jokes and it does something to our people,” James said. “One of the things I want people not of color to realize is that this really hurts. These conversations are not easy, and there are Black people that are tired of answering the same questions. But I always say, if we are not the ones who can help answer these questions, who else will? Who are people not of color going to go to?” Another concern that James has is the stigma surrounding activism — especially Black women who choose to be vocal about their beliefs. “There’s a stereotype that people place on Black women. ‘The Angry Black Woman.’ I’m a very strong minded person. The hardest part
has been staying passionate without turning people away,” James said. “Sometimes my passion seems wrought with anger. I’m not angry, I just want you to understand where I’m coming from. I have to realize that there is already that stigma that people have attached to me. I have to be extra careful, even if I’m saying something that’s truthful and factual. You have a brief moment to hold someone’s attention and what you say in those moments are so crucial.” When it comes to furthering personal education about antiracism, fighting systemic racism and bringing down roadblocks, asking questions is an important part of the process for James. And the intentions behind the questions matter, too. “It’s great to preface questions by asking, ‘Do I have your permission to ask you about this topic,’ because you never know. A question that’s okay for me could trigger another person. We have different trauma. We come from different places,” James said. “Come from a place of love. I don’t think any question coming from a place of ‘I want to attack you’ should be asked. It is my prayer that when these questions are asked, they are coming from places of a genuine want to understand.” Despite these matters, James places emphasis on the fact that racial issues are not one-sided. Joining and communicating with each other to try and understand other people will strengthen unity. “I don’t like the me-against-you thing. I don’t like the us-againsty’all thing. That’s what we’re trying to step away from,” James said. “We need to be immersed in love for each other. We need to be intertwined to the point that you see a struggle of one of your friends of color, and say, ‘That’s my fight. It’s our fight.’”
