https://adifferentnarrative.com Thu, 17 Mar 2022 07:13:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://adifferentnarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/favicon.ico https://adifferentnarrative.com 32 32 214448203 https://adifferentnarrative.com/2022/01/22/mikalah-class-of-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mikalah-class-of-2022 Sat, 22 Jan 2022 17:29:12 +0000 https://adifferentnarrative.com/?p=242 I wouldn’t call Bard segregated, but I do think it can be cliquey. There is the Office of Equity and Inclusion. It is generally for students of color but primarily used by black and brown students. I feel represented, but only to a certain extent. For example, in the classroom, I often don’t feel represented since I am sometimes the only black and brown student. Bard supports students of color through clubs such as the Black Students Organization and also the Dean of Inclusive Excellence and his office. I wish that the school would not exploit students of color, especially in the workforce. I have found that students of color are overworked and underpaid in addition to generally being asked to do a lot. For instance, I have seen Black students who give so much to their schools by having multiple jobs, running clubs, and volunteering. However, these students easily exhaust themselves by giving to an institution that willingly continues to take their time, energy, and labor from them as well as continuing to ask for more from them. The first piece of advice is to never trust an institution. All colleges and universities are businesses. Yes, they want you to trust them and feel safe, but you cannot put your own safety and wellbeing in their hands. You cannot trust an institution to protect you because it will most likely fail you. At the end of the day, money is what matters most to these institutions. My second piece of advice is to never give too much of yourself to an institution. Stay focused on your classes and what you are passionate about because it is so easy to be exploited without even realizing it.

]]> 242 https://adifferentnarrative.com/2022/01/22/anonymous-class-of-2024-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=anonymous-class-of-2024-3 Sat, 22 Jan 2022 17:27:06 +0000 https://adifferentnarrative.com/?p=240 You can see the divide between races and ethnicities, but for the most part, people tend to integrate and befriend anyone who they believe is friend-worthy. There are some resources for Black students, but they are often student-provided. Other times, the resources are there but are not as convenient as they should be. They offer scholarships for us to come but are not the best at providing safe spaces and opportunities with Black people in general. I would like to see more safe spaces, as well as more automatic support. I have heard that some people of different races get aid quicker than Black people. Also, I wish the microaggressions would stop as well. That is not to say that there is not any support, but it should be more beneficial. We do have faculty and staff here to change the narrative, but the negative encounters Black people face here should decrease at a faster pace. I feel that more representation is coming along as more Black students join the school. I also feel represented through the student government and clubs because a lot of Black people run important events, clubs, etc within Bard. Do not be afraid to pick the school that is best for you based on these encounters, but make sure you prepare for them and seek out safe spaces and people within your school who can aid in guidance and listening. As long as you have someone to talk to, you will be fine because we all are working to create better opportunities for Black people. Sometimes actions of others are discouraging and saddening, but we will get through it together; we are here for each other.

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