Black stereotypes may have been the name of the discussion, but it was far from everything that was discussed.
A group of students from different organizations alongside faculty and staffed filled the Multicultural Center’s Presentation Room and discussed the meaning of prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination among different races, genders and sexuality. The conversation was led by Black Affairs Association President Jeremiah Pearson and Bria Woods, President of Men of Distinction and Ladies of Virtue.
“Before getting into the topics you must know the definitions because they are similar and can be confusing,” said Woods.
Pearson and Woods defined each term, talked about where stereotypes came from and discussed experiences they’ve had along with the experiences the audience had. This list included “Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Mixed, male and female,” according to Woods.
After the discussion was over, the two speakers set up a game for the audience to play and apply what they learned from the discussion. The top five winners received an “Unapologetically Black” T-shirt.
“I wanted people to realize that sometimes we categorize people into silly groups without realizing it,” said Woods. “I wanted people to be aware of this and I think we went into detail with this discussion when talking about LGBTQ stereotypes and really how that can clash with others at times. I believe we achieved the expectations we had.”
The discussion went on for about an hour and a half and it took a while for the room to clear out because of the intense discussions.
“Overall, the event went great,” said Woods. “I was expecting a younger crowd, but it was about half and half so everyone was learning within the discussion.”
Tonight there will be a discussion on African American vs. Africans and Caribbean’s, titled “Shades of Black.” This discussion will be at 6 p.m. in the D.P. Culp Center East Tennessee Room.
