LSU students, faculty, staff, and people of the Baton Rouge Community came to Kirby Smith on Tuesday to experience the Tunnel of Oppression. More than 100 people journeyed through rooms that included homelessness, body image, cyber bullying, lesbian/gay/transgender issues, human trafficking and sexual abuse. Instead of just telling why issues are important, different campus organizations acted out the various types of oppression, allowing the viewers to feel as if they were the ones being oppressed.
Coming up to the 8th floor of Kirby Smith Hall, people were able to see the derogatory names towards all different types of races.
There were also grave stones of those who died solely because of what they looked like and what they stood for.
For me, it is saddening to know the issues that were shown still exist, however it was so impactful seeing all the people witness this experience. There are many people who will go on and can be very oblivious to critical issues that are happening in today’s society.
Sometimes, it takes that one person to challenge someone else and let them know what’s really going on, and I feel that this event did just that. However by bringing this to the LSU community, the Social Justice Committee was able to put on this impactful event that showed how real these situations are.
The Social Justice committee puts on events and programs that deal with issues of to sex, gender, sexual orientation/identity, religion, ethnicity, and many others. This committee shows how certain views, stereotypes, and judgments can impact a resident living on campus. The Social Justice Committee has been working on this event since the beginning of last semester, because they wanted others to realize how important and realistic these issues are. It was a way for the committee to help residents and all people open their eyes and let them know this could be the story of someone they know, and what we can do to eliminate that.
After going through the Tunnel of Oppression, students wrote on the Wall of Change, pledging what they would do to eliminate the ignorance and negativity many people in this world still have today.
Saying you are diverse is one thing, but taking a chance and stepping outside your comfort zone is another. There is a difference between tolerance and acceptance and it is important to know that once we stop tolerating one another, and accept each other, we can make this world so much smaller. It only takes that one person to say something when a negative or derogatory word is thrown out. It starts with one person having a positive impact on another and what this world could potentially be…Will it be you? I hope so.
To read the Reveille article about the Tunnel of Oppression, please click here:
Want to see more pictures from this event? Checkout the facebook page!
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