We Should Talk About It: The Importance of Discussing Uncomfortable Topics to Better Ourselves and Our Community

On October 12, the 65 members of The Edge team partnered with the Elon University Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education (CREDE) to participate in a workshop to discuss “The Big 8” identity groups to educate the publication on both diversity and inclusion. 

The CREDE is an Elon University student organization whose mission is to “Advance the conversation on student diversity education campus-wide and to develop intercultural competence while providing race and ethnicity related advocacy, services, and programs to faculty, staff and students, particularly those from underrepresented and historically marginalized communities.” 

The center creates a welcoming and inclusive environment for Elon students of all backgrounds and is located in Moseley room 221. 

The interactive session was led by two CREDE student leaders, Lucia Lozano Robledo and Khaaliq Van-Otoo, and aimed to create honest and important discussion about identity within our lives. The workshop emphasized the idea of understanding our own privileges, and recognizing how we can educate ourselves through difficult discussions about identity and marginalization throughout our society. While these topics can easily appear uncomfortable, it is crucial to have these conversations and hold each other accountable for issues that might be occurring throughout our community or even our campus. 

Lucia prides the CREDE on its dedication to educating Elon students about difficult topics, such as race and identity, through these workshops.

“I believe that the big 8 workshops are important for all organizations to host because they are geared towards creating larger personal and societal awareness of our own identities and how these garner privilege for some, while others are systematically marginalized,” she said. “ We all need to be interrogating our multifaceted and complex identities for how they are framed and treated in our society, as the first step towards greater self-awareness and advocacy for racial justice.”

While our session with The Edge was certainly different over Zoom than a typical CREDE workshop, I believe all the team members still gained a lot out of the informative discussion from both a personal and community perspective.

After going through the basic terminology and definitions of “The Big 8” identity groups (race, religion, ability, sexuality, gender, age, socio-economic class, and ethnicity) through a helpful game of Kahoot!, our activity switched to a beneficial conversation about what we identify the most within our own lives and how these groups have had an impact on the Elon community and campus. It was quite interesting to hear what other people think about their own identities and how they have each affected their lives, and I think this portion of the workshop especially made our team members realize some important points of discussion regarding diversity and inclusion on campus.

Our discussion questioned important identifiers within our own lives and emphasized how we might label ourselves or analyze them throughout our day-to-day lives. Furthermore, we discussed how identifiers, such as race and sexual orientation, are integrated throughout Elon’s campus. After these questions, it became clear that the members of The Edge did not think minority groups were discussed nearly enough on campus, proving that we still have work to do. Thankfully, workshops and organizations like the CREDE are here to help and aid in these efforts. 

Khaaliq certainly agrees. 

“I know it's a cliche but education is key. Racism, bias, inequality, and injustice are not new things. They have existed since the founding of this country and continue to impact our systems and institutions today. But it is up to us as individuals and organizations to decide if we are going to do something about it,” he says. “It's also important that they listen to the voices of [our]  peers who come from marginalized identities because oftentimes they deal with challenges on a daily basis even here at Elon due to their identities but never get a chance to express that.”

Overall, I believe that his workshop, in cooperation with the CREDE, was incredibly beneficial to The Edge team, not only to better ourselves, but to also the publication as a whole. After going through the session, I strongly encourage anyone hoping to make a difference or educate themselves about these difficult issues, to speak with this organization as I believe our short time with the CREDE was education and important for everyone that experienced it. It is open to all Elon University students and is an amazing resource for anyone looking for a little extra help, even during these especially difficult times.

Lead by the CREDE, The Edge took a hard look at diversity and inclusion on campus and within our own lives. Photo from pexels.com.