The Undocumented "Revolution"

By Meredyth Staunch on May 9, 2017

“Revolution” is a loaded word: the American Revolution started in 1775; there was the French Revolution; and just recently outside the U.S., there was an Egyptian and Kyrgyz Revolution, to name a few.

However, when put into the context of Grace Lee Boggs’ book, The Next American Revolution, “revolution” is redefined. Instead of exhorting to the obvious norm of war portrayal and violence, she sees it fit to re-establish it as a mechanism of regrouping, a mechanism to create change and promote love for each other.

When I look at myself and whether I am adhering to Boggs’ definition, I see myself striving for reform, but if we say we do not stereotype another based on class, race, or even religion, we are not being honest. Certainly, some are more open-minded to those who are different, but we tend to stay in our comfort zones of familiarity because we unfortunately fear the unusual. Which is more comfortable as a Caucasian female: approaching another Caucasian male or one who is African American?

I try to be impartial. After all, who am I to judge other individuals who exhibit different values than my own if I do not understand where they came from, their upbringing stories, etc.? I am friends with females and males alike who are white, black, Indian, Puerto-Rican … the list goes on.

But, Boggs’ component of equally “loving one another” and “becoming the change” is a lofty feat to attain since we like to stay in our original group of peers based on comfort. Research has even stated that the person who we will marry is very likely to look similar to our family members.

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Yes, slavery has been abolished, but there is an unwritten code of slavery which still exists today. The white, supremacist superiority complex overrides that of other nationalities. Take racial profiling in the midst of the judicial system as an example. Police are more willing to stop males over females, specifically males who are African American. Is it really ironic that the supposed gun shooting at SLU on Wednesday, May 3, involved a minority student, who was fearful and had no idea what was going on? (The “gun” was a rubber-band gun, and he was one of many who constructed it in class.)

While we are working toward this “change” to “create a new society from the ruins of the old,” we live in a paradoxical world in which we need to create clubs/organizations at universities to include others who are “different.”

We don’t have a “Caucasian/White Society” offered — yet we are so willing to accept a Muslim Association and ones which are Indian and geared toward the LGBTQ+ communities. The intentions are there to eliminate the old biases, thereby adhering to Boggs’ “revolution” case, but rather, we are subjecting these groups.

By pointing out the minority students specifically and creating organizations for them to highlight events, such as diverse dances, cuisine, and beliefs, we are drawing attention to the fact that they are more dissimilar than similar. It is great to inform on these divergences, but this could also be accomplished within interracial groups, not race- or religion-specific organizations.

We say “activism” will solve many of our issues, but how we are achieving this is the real question. I have branched out of my comfort zone to join various clubs, attend multicultural events, and try food I would normally not interpret as palatable. However, shouldn’t we always strive to do these things? Why does the term “revolution” in this sense need to be coined to show our diversity — it should be inherent for us to accept those who hold different values from the beginning.

Don’t get me wrong, I love SLU — everything from the opportunities for involvement on campus, attainability of a job post-college, and the student vibe is welcoming. But, how can a school promote itself as diverse when nearly two-thirds is from the upper, white, middle class? Schools need to not only be verifiable with their marketing, but they also should branch out of their own familiarity and overlook the racial component in accepting students. Congratulations, a prospective freshman at a four-year-institute can receive a scholarship because he/she is a minority; wow, the school is not homogeneous because a student from China is attending. It is wonderful to celebrate these factors, but it also stereotypes too by drawing specific attention to the minority groups.

Equality is great, but equity is better because some people or groups need more reform than others to obtain the same outcome. Who knows when this ideal will finally be secured. There is no law inhibiting equality; there is no law constraining equity, but us American citizens create these “unwritten” rules for what is acceptable. If you don’t fit the mold, you might as well be — in a matter of words — screwed.

So, I am revisiting the term “revolution” for the final time. I commend Boggs for believing that revolution starts by tearing down the old and rebuilding the new. We are to evolve into a higher humanity based off hope rather than hatred. This needs to start with you internally, however.

If you are willing to completely lead an open mind without a haughty remark toward a Muslim student wearing a hijab or leave a snide comment to a colored man wearing a hoodie who “seems to look shady” even though there is no probable cause, then be my guest. This is the ideal. You need to make the change first, though, and it is not an overnight process. Once you can completely live an objective lifestyle, you are more than willing to house the term “revolution” wholeheartedly.

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