“Uncomfortable Conversations” event allows students to speak their minds on race and equity
MSU students talking and answering questions with Ron Carey.
June 11, 2021
The Minority Student Union (MSU) group and the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) sponsored an “Uncomfortable Conversations” event on May 19. The idea for the event was to hold a deep, guided conversation about race to better understand what students of color face on a day-to-day basis. Equity Ambassadors and Wildcats for Change also collaborated on the event.
The event took place at Tilt Creative + Production in Richmond, where teacher and MSU sponsor Dan Dickey, Tilt CEO Ron Carey, and students talked about the misunderstandings in the community about what it’s like being a person of color. Students who participated in the discussion included sophomore Alyssa Malcolm, sophomore Amanda Malcolm, sophomore Fernanda More, junior Kendall Johnson, and freshman Sharada Masson.
“In these times, when you look at our country, it is filled with people from all different backgrounds, races, experiences, cultures, and that’s what makes America great, but in the past they all had been suppressed and some of that lingers today,” Dickey said. “So I think it’s important for our community to be involved to understand this is America, we need to be more equitable.”
The Uncomfortable Conversations event was a success and a good learning experience for the students who attended.
“I am proud to have been a part of this event and contribute to the growth of the Minority Student Union in Deep Run,” sophomore Fernanda More said. “I believe events like this one are necessary for our community, especially for minorities to have a platform to express themselves and promote equity.”
Other students agreed with the importance of doing more events like this moving forward.
“It was such a wonderful experience. Mr. Carey did an awesome job asking questions and everyone on the board did so well answering their questions. The crew at tilt was nice as well!” junior Kendall Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to future events we hold there because we’re looking into making this an annual occurrence.”
Organizers and participants noted the importance of events like this because they expand other student’s knowledge about race and equity, it are also good for the students who experience discrimination to not feel alone. Those interested in viewing the discussion, can watch the recording that was shared with the Deep Run community here. Students interested in joining the MSU should email Dickey or MSU President Elaf Ali.