This academic year, students at predominantly White institutions elected a wave of Black student body presidents. This cohort now finds itself leading in unprecedented times, amid a pandemic and a national reckoning with racism. How are they supporting each other through it? What are they hoping to accomplish this term? What adjustments are they making in response to the ongoing pandemic?
In this episode, Diverse’s Sara Weissman talks with junior Danielle Geathers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), junior Noah Harris at Harvard University, senior Jason Carroll at Brown University, and senior Naomi Riley at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) about how they, as student body presidents, are responding to the national crises at the moment.
Find out what these student body presidents are currently fighting for on their campuses, from reparations to campus policing to the allocation of student resources. Tune in as they share the pressures and struggles of being student body president, as well as their hopes for the many more Black student body presidents to come in the future.
KEY POINTS / MAIN TAKEAWAYS:
QUOTABLES:
“For myself, and a lot of students just like me, it was very difficult to both handle all these personal things, while also then trying to advocate and make a change and work within these massive institutions.”
“I'm of the belief that there are spaces that police officers should not be in. We can take this example of a mental health situation. One thing that we're currently advocating for right now is for police officers to not be the first responders to mental crises. So in working with our psychological services, we want to make sure that it is a trained mental health professional who arrives at the scene”
PRODUCTS / RESOURCES:
A Wave of Black Student Body Presidents Enter Office Amid COVID-19, Racial Injustice Crises - read the article here: https://diverseeducation.com/article/108309
Visit the Diverse: Issues In Higher Education website: https://diverseeducation.com/
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What an amazing podcast! I’ve received so much value from these conversations and experiences. This podcast is shedding light on some very important topics, especially in todays climate. I have been loving every moment! Diverse In The Margins is most definitely worth the listen!
Such an amazing platform. So many milestones have been made and so many more to come.
This is an amazing podcast. I am glad you are stepping up and talking about a sensitive topic that is not talked about enough. Thank you for sharing this information. It effects students in higher education and the effects carry over into the workforce when the students graduate. Some students are tainted because there was not enough taught on diversity and the students perspective are skewed.
I like that the episodes aren’t too long but are still very informative
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