Last Look

When I walked into my first group meeting of the University’s Sustained Dialogue (SD) program, I was set to denounce “those people” in our community who make racist jokes, discriminate in social situations or commit overt acts of hate. In previous discussions on race, I almost always spoke in terms of “society” and “culture.”  As a white female, I did not really think I had much right to talk about race on a personal level, and so I had settled comfortably into addressing diversity in the intellectual realm.

But from our very first session together, I realized that SD moderators were not interested in hearing about some vilified Other as the source of racial strife. They wanted me to look at my own life — my friends, my family, my fellow group members — so I could understand how I contribute to patterns of prejudice and discrimination and how I am subject to them.

Through biweekly discussion groups of 10 to 12 students, the student-run SD seeks to change the racial climate at the University, starting with the individual. By exploring the role race plays in personal relationships, participants become conscious of their own biases.

This is not an easy task. The process by which an individual comes to realize and acknowledge his or her own involvement in the problems of racism is often painful. As a middle-class white student, I had never really thought about the fact that it is a privilege, not merely a neutral circumstance, that I do not have to think about my race on a daily basis. Through group discussion, I came to see that I possess my privilege at the expense of a minority student’s disadvantage — a troubling realization to make.

But SD is not about dividing sides into guilty whites and minority victims. Though groups do talk about how racial power structures affect daily life, it is always through the lens of personal experience. Participants are discouraged from trying to speak “for” their race; the emphasis instead is on exploring the differences and commonalities of experiences within and across racial lines. In addition, taking the approach that minority group members are there to educate whites is not conducive to developing relationships. Everyone, regardless of race, has opinions and experiences that contribute to the group’s collective knowledge and progress. It is a dialogue, after all, and every voice is crucial.

SD brings together students from diverse backgrounds who might not otherwise have had many interactions. The goal is for members to form trusting relationships within the group, but the hope is that those relationships will develop into friendships that continue outside the meetings. Learning to acknowledge and work to eliminate personal prejudices breaks down preexisting barriers so that these friendships can evolve. My group last year included a Muslim female who wore a traditional headscarf. I knew almost nothing about what it represented in her faith, and because what little I did know came from negative stereotypes, I felt somewhat uncomfortable with it. But because of the supportive and intimate atmosphere of our group, I eventually felt comfortable enough to talk to her about it. Were it not for the relationship she and I had begun to develop in the group, and my desire to strengthen that relationship, I would likely never have identified my prejudice or been able to take concrete steps to change it.

Although SD begins at the personal level, over time the groups begin to address specific issues and problems with racial dynamics at the University level. Some groups put together social action projects designed to have a specific impact on the community — one group created a first-year pilot group that has now become its own branch of SD; another set of members founded a magazine devoted to students’ writings about race. SD has also sponsored two parties and one semiformal that drew far more diverse crowds than usually come together at U.Va. All groups focus on recruiting their friends and classmates to become part of the SD program.

As a moderator of a first-year group this year, I have been thrilled to see that the members are committed to making their mark on the University through SD. Since I will be graduating this spring, I won’t be around to see how the new generation of Wahoos makes SD their own, but I have no doubt that the organization will have a lasting impact. I will forever be proud to have been a part of it.