The members of Students for Justice, a Bromfield club dedicated to student activism, are disappointed at recent Letters to the Editor dismissing the importance of addressing racism within Harvard. We aim to give insight into our mission and why we believe diversity and equity are of utmost importance to everyone in our community.
Rather than accepting racism as an inevitable factor of student life or waiting until a terrible incident occurs, it is imperative that we address bias and racism ahead of time. Standing by will only make the problem worsen. The mindset of “a few bad apples,” unfortunately, does not accurately represent our town’s situation—the problem of racism is already within our system. Students have experienced hate for years, as evidenced by the first-person experiences of racism on the Instagram account @bipocbromfield. It may be tempting to ask, “Why didn’t they just speak up?” However, that is part of the problem: Those who cause harm make it difficult for students experiencing bias to speak up.
Our goal is not to alienate other people for their opinions; differing opinions are healthy, but we must draw the line when “debate” promotes unremitting bigotry and hate in Harvard. Since Bromfield is a predominantly white school, it may be difficult for white students to initially grasp the severity of these experiences. But no matter the percentage of Bromfield students experiencing or witnessing harassment, even 1% is still much too high, as racial harassment has mental, emotional, and sometimes even physical impacts. Education on diversity and inclusion would facilitate a more sustainable solution to racism within our community.
Students for Justice’s mission is to not only create a safe and welcoming environment for students to discuss race, but also to spread empathy, awareness, and mutual understanding among all students. We hope that our organization and continued promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion will foster a similar environment in the greater community.
Asha Khurana, Hannah Chiou, Timur Sahin, and Sahara Suliman
co-founders Students for Justice
