On November 29 in the McCombs Ballroom, many Southwestern students gathered to listen to The More You Know About Racism Panel. Hosted and organized by the JEDI center, the panel was a chance for students of color to share their experiences with prejudice on campus in order to raise awareness for the general student population. This was done through a Q&A format with questions being asked by the facilitator and answered by each student in turn. 

Questions were asked about their experiences in student organizations and athletic teams, as well as identity-based organizations like HALO, BSU, ASA, SU Native, EMPIRE, and social circles on campus. While students brought up a multitude of different anecdotes, many of them were symptoms of what panelists described as a “bystander culture”, in which students and faculty are not willing to back up their words with action when push comes to shove, and they end merely having the “privilege to feel cowardly”.

 After the prepared questions, the floor was opened up for students in the crowd to ask questions of their own. Many of these were centered around SU’s actions on the subject of racism, especially concerning the more recent hate crimes on campus. As well as advice on how to deal with the weight of prejudice when it seems to manifest in every part of people’s lives. The session ended with resounding applause for the panelists and a thank you to everyone who had made the decision to participate.