Dear TVS Jillian Ivy

Dear TVS

Jillian Ivy

Dear TVS, I was tasked with writing “something that the TVS students needed to hear, ” and for a while I had no clue what to write. I was trying to think of a big idea that I thought would be important for TVS to know, but I just couldn't choose. After thinking for a long time I finally decided that there was no one issue more important than another, and that it would do no good to list the hundreds of things we as an educational village could work on. So, I simply decided to speak on my experience as a young Black woman who attends a PWI (predominantly white institution). Schools with a predominantly white population usually approach activism and diversity work from one of two angles: the first being forced diversity and the second being conscious ignorance. The first is common in schools that want to be inclusive but don't know how, and the second… Well, let's just say the second is not who we want to be. Forced diversity could be asking POC to pose for the cover of magazines, or specifically asking POC students to be the face of the school during tours so that the community appears more diverse. But I think it could also be a little more than that. Forced diversity could also be asking minority students to present in assemblies and asking POC students to voice their opinions on issues pertaining to diversity and inclusion. Although it might not be a popular position, I don't think that every aspect of forced diversity is necessarily bad; the problem arises when minority students are expected to carry the brunt of the work that needs to be done. POC cannot be expected to do all of the work. We are frequently asked to be the voice, the face and the sounding boards for, basically, everyone. Forced diversity can be a push in the right direction, but it can also push away the voices needed to change a community. There is a trope, the strong Black women trope, that I think is a great example of what I’m talking about. It’s not a secret that Black women have been oppressed for the duration of their existence in America, and as a response to that adversity they fight for their humanity just as any other person would. However, the power and strength that black women exude doesn't always play in their favor. In exchange for appearing to be “superwomen, ” Black women are often hypermasculinized, viewed as overly aggressive and brutish, and seen as animalistic in comparison

to, specifically, White women. The Black woman is viewed as the antithesis to femininity in the eyes of the oppressor; she is often portrayed as a loud and aggressive creten who obnoxiously fights for freedoms she supposedly already has. This depiction of Black women often has a negative toll on their identity, and further shuns them away from speaking out. I often feel that way on campus. Not necessarily like an animal, but like a nuisance. I feel tired too. Tired of standing up for myself, tired of speaking out, tired of fighting for my humanity. Black women are just as human, and feminine, and beautiful as any other woman, or person for that matter. Black women need to be cared for, and nurtured, and loved in the same way that people of color on our campus need to be. We eat, sleep, dream, cry. We are human. Acknowledge our humanity. Don’t make us fight for it. Don’t make anyone fight for it. Don’t assume that POC students can always carry the load our movement requires–we need outside help too. We cannot do it alone. This is what TVS students need to hear. Listen. With gratitude, Jillian Ivy