A group of concerned University community members met yesterday to discuss the existence of self-segregation on campus.
"What would it take then to get people to step outside their boxes?" asked Sean Vereen, associate director of Greenfield Intercultural Center, who facilitated the forum.
Around 25 students came together in Houston Hall last night to share personal experiences and solutions for the future in an open forum titled "University of Self Segregation." The event was co-hosted by the United Minorities Council and Check One, a multiracial and multicultural association, as part of Unity Week.
Many students expressed that so-called "self-segregation" was a complicated issue, balanced between embracing common experience and reaching out to those of a different background than one's own.
"For me, college was a time I could finally be around people of my own skin color," College junior and UMC member Lola Bakare said. "I really value that experience."
One student who attended the event commented that while she felt connected with non-black students, she still felt to an extent "alone" as the sole black person in her primary social group.
Many students agreed that the responsibility of reaching across dividing lines rests with all individuals, and division occurs because students find comfort in commonality.
"I don't like the term 'self segregation,'" Wharton senior Dan Saat said. "It implies that students of color hold the responsibility of establishing some sort of community."
One student told a story of sitting at a table with her black friends when one of her white male friends joined the group.
"I later asked him what had compelled him to do that. He told me because he knew me, sitting down at that table might not be as hard as it looks," UMC Political Chairwoman and College junior Fatimah Muhammad said.
Muhammad emphasized that individual relationships can break down what may seem like unapproachable racial barriers.
Although College freshman Marta Rozmyslowicz was disappointed that, out of a large student body, so few students attended, she was "really excited to meet people who feel similarly" to her.
Most students left with the feeling that a positive step is being made toward creating a common Penn community for students of minority and majority groups.
"I believe that it needs to begin at the academic level. We need to learn about cultural experiences that are so deeply rooted in each individual before we tackle segregation in the community," College senior and Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Jason Levine said.
