Culture News Blog

Students from various UW organizations came together to talk about diversity at the Prejudice Reduction Workshop facilitated by the National Coalition Building Institute last night in the HUB.

Many felt compelled to dispel some popular stereotypes.

Others said people tended to make assumptions about a group as a whole based on one representative.

"Don't let BET be your sole example of what black culture means to you," said Miranda Bethay, ASUW's director of diversity efforts.

These frustrations were aired as part of a group exercise called "the caucus," one of a series of group exercises facilitated by representatives from the NCBI, a non-profit organization begun on college campuses during the 1980s.

Groups included immigrants or those born outside the United States, working class people, African Americans, Asian Americans, men and women.

NCBI Seattle facilitators Darlene Lee and Shannon Budelman led students in discussing offending comments or stereotypes made about their group and what they would want to do to prevent such occurrences.

Representatives from ASUW, Residence Hall Student Association, Housing and Food Services, Black Student Union and others attended the workshop with the goal of creating alliances with those of different identities.

Lee and Budelman brought three objectives with them: strengthening relationships among student leaders, gaining common language around oppression and beginning to explore ways oppression manifests itself in individuals and groups.

Students also had a chance to share personal experiences of problems they have run into while identifying with a particular racial, ethnic, religious or socioeconomic group.

Most participants said they felt comfortable telling stories of prejudice or difficulties others often have with relating to their personal identity.

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