The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the audience questions, coming largely from Brigham Young University students one would suppose, included:
- “What is the percentage of African Americans on food stamps?”
- “Why do African Americans hate the police?”
- “Why don’t we have any white people on stage?”
One student on the panel to whom the questions were addressed is an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Another Black student responded to the incident by saying that she no longer has the emotional stamina to deal with the “ignorant, racist, privileged folks” on campus.
If you are a white BYU student or a non-first-generation Latter-day Saint, you must know that you are privileged and that that privilege does, indeed, make you an easy candidate to have lived a sheltered, privileged life that would make it easy for you to be ignorant and to say and do things that you don't even recognize are racist.
If you are a parent, please teach your children that statements and attitudes like this are hurtful and hateful and racist. Just because you're not aware of your ignorant or racist attitudes does not excuse them, nor does it not make your attitudes and actions and sayings ignorant and racist.
If you don't understand why these questions are inappropriate, you are, assuredly, in need of self-reflection and education. One suggestion would be to cross the tracks and engage in a conversation with a clerk at a store. Another would be to take public transportation and talk to people of different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds from your own. Learn what it's like to be the only person of your race in a room, in a building, in a ward. Not everyone embraces your cultural values, not everyone has matching furniture and dishes, not everyone can buy new clothes and throw out old ones at will, not everyone has had a safe group of friends nor a home in a desirable neighorhood, nor a loving family nor preferred foods. Not everyone has had good healthcare to have nice teeth, health-looking bodies and freedom from consequences of inherited or stress or poverty-related mental or physical defects. On the other hand, you may find that the African-American person has had a loyal, sustaining family network that has weathered storms and provided strength that you've never known. Perhaps their family has sacrificed in ways to provide opportunities for their children or siblings that you and your family cannot imagine.
I guess I'm surprised because I served a mission and work with a lot of BYU people who seemed to know about compassion and love and not being insensitive. How does this continue to go on?
Some ideas for appropriate questions in such a panel discussion would include:
- "What is something I can do better as a privileged white BYU student to ensure that I'm a better member of our shared community?"
- "In what ways do your Black and Immigrant characteristics provide you insights into your course of study?" "What are those of us who aren't Black and Immigrants not aware of?"
- "How will the world be different as more Black and Immigrant students come to and leave BYU?"
