Words are powerful and if used with ignorance, words can also be hurtful.
That’s what’s behind a campaign at Oregon State University called I Too Am, OSU, reports the Daily Emerald.
What happened to many of the students in this campaign happens at campuses and communities all across the country.
Asian Americans are asked where are you from a zillion times. A black student is asked why he talks so white. A student is called “sexy” based solely on the fact she’s multi-ethnic.
These micro-aggressions are based on stereotypes and are subtle ways students say they can be traumatized at predominantly white campuses.
The I Too Am, OSU campaign is bringing these issues out into the open.
“We received lots of positive feedback,” organizer Jeff McDaniels said. “It was good to see that our efforts were utilized by people who needed it.”
You can read about the experiences of these students and what they’re doing about it in the I am Too, OSU, reports the Daily Emerald.