On Thursday Nov. 3, the Elizabethtown College Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion held their second installment of the (Men)tality series. This event, titled “Race, Racism, Anti-Racism and Manhood,” was hosted by Area Coordinator of Resident Life Eugene Thomas.
The (Men)tality series was created by Thomas as an outlet to allow male and male-identified students to have a safe space to discuss various topics like their feelings and different aspects that come along with manhood.
This seminar was held in a workshop format starting with Thomas lecturing about various topics revolving around racism including racism in technology, school systems and capitalism. Following the lecture, the attendees got the opportunity to split into small groups and answer thoughtful questions revolving around their own experiences with race and anti-racism. Some of the questions that were explored in the small groups included “How did you learn about race, who taught you?” and “What do you think we can do to become more aware and honest about the truth of America and the impact whiteness has within this country?”
After breaking off into groups to discuss the questions, Thomas opened the floor up for a group discussion around the key question of “Why do you think race, racism and anti-racism are difficult topics for people to engage in?” Junior digital media production major and graphic design minor Sarah Moscoso said, “I think these are difficult topics for people to talk about because people aren’t comfortable being uncomfortable and these topics typically make people feel uncomfortable.”
During the seminar, there was a video played with an interview between two scholars, one being a white man and one being a Black man, where they discussed differences in their experiences. The Black man discussed moving to Paris, France to escape discrimination and racial violence. The white man was not receptive to these ideas, and it was later discussed amongst the group how some people who have not been exposed to racial diversity struggle to understand the difficulties of those in the minority.
The seminar ended with an open discussion amongst all attendees revolving around examples of racism in history. Some examples of what was discussed include mass incarceration as well as how Elizabethtown, Pa. was a Sundown town. In addition, it was discussed how people can facilitate more conversations revolving around racism and how to combat it.
Events like these are critical to making our campus community more educated and dedicated to combating issues regarding racism. “This information is important for people to hear because oftentimes people don’t have access to this type of information,” Thomas said.
“This seminar focused on a prominent issue in today’s society that needs to be talked about and often is not. Due to this, people are not as educated as they should be on racism and often don’t take the time to be because it may not ‘directly affect them.’ This is something that everyone needs to speak up about, not only when it’s convenient for them. You cannot be a true ally or even friend if you don’t speak up and educate yourself and others about what is right,” junior occupational therapy major Alexia Tsamoutalidis said.
Moscoso said, “I thought the event was extremely valuable. I enjoyed hearing viewpoints from individuals who have different daily experiences than me, and I hope that the College puts on more of these events so I can continue to learn about and from my peers.”
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Thomas plan on continuing to put on these types of events and this (Men)tality series, focusing on the topic of love in the next installment.
