UT ought to spotlight college students of coloration on campus

“Historical past repeats itself in case you don’t study from it. Texas is speaking about eliminating (DEI initiatives on the) College, as a result of they really feel like we’re in a brand new day and age the place none of that is happening anymore,” stated Anthony Williams, advertising senior and President of the Heman Sweatt Middle for Black males. “Black historical past is everybody’s historical past.”

To totally perceive and reckon with UT’s previous, we should study its connections to our future. 

Everlasting reveals and visible reminders on campus will permit us to additional perceive the racism current in our faculty’s previous and its existence immediately – regardless of the strides to eradicate it. 

Firstly of Black Historical past Month, UT’s Contextualization and Commemoration Initiative erected a memorial honoring the Precursors. The Precursors had been among the many first Black college students that attended UT. Whereas such reveals educate the College neighborhood on underlying racial tensions, their short-term standing limits their efficacy.   

Previous to UT admitting Black college students, the one choices for education for African-American college students in Texas had been Traditionally Black Schools and Universities (HBCUs). August 1st, 1950, marks the day the first Black Longhorns – Heman Sweatt and George Washington, Jr. – started their UT graduate education. 

Undergraduate applications solely opened their doorways to Black college students within the fall of 1956. Nonetheless,  Black college students remained discouraged to attend UT due to its atmosphere. Restricted alternatives to socialize with friends resulting from segregation and an unaccommodating tradition created many inequities in Black college students’ experiences. 

In Could 1956, UT’s Inter-Co-op council voted to desegregate the college’s dorms. However a majority of the coed hubs on the Drag solely catered to white populations. After a slew of protests and sit-ins, the NightHawk – a burger joint alongside Guadalupe on the time – made historical past as the primary Austin institution to welcome Black patrons in 1959. 

Although many organizations like Texas Athletics had already enforced integration by 1965, the UT soccer workforce didn’t recruit its first Black athlete till 1970.  

It’s straightforward to go searching campus and neglect the lengthy highway to variety that the college remains to be strolling down. At present, solely 5.2% of UT’s inhabitants is Black. The historical past of segregation at UT shouldn’t be as distant as one might imagine.

Economics freshman Temi Idowu defined she feels compelled to keep away from sure topics within the classroom and could be very cognizant of the majority-white college students round her. 

“I ensure that to keep away from sure matters,” Idowu stated. “I don’t actually like speaking about jail, single motherhood or mass incarceration, issues like that. As a result of I do know (what’ll occur) if I speak about that.” 

Black college students and organizations can even face discrimination from non-Black friends by microaggressions.

“You don’t must solely do it throughout our months,” Williams stated. “I’ve been on this board for 3 years, and I’ll say our group has acquired probably the most donations in UT historical past, however I’ve not met the president as soon as.”

Historic reveals reminding college students of UT’s racial historical past must be completely displayed in frequently-visited scholar areas. Whereas the Contextualization and Commemoration Initiative has applied a extra everlasting historic reminder – the Sweatt v. Painter Commemorative Gallery Area – this exhibit shouldn’t be one many college students will see, as not everybody has courses on this particular constructing.

“All forms of firms (like UT) give us a month, simply to make it appear to be they care, however then after that month, like actually the subsequent day, it’s prefer it by no means occurred,” Williams stated. “We simply return to enterprise as common.”

Making our historical past everlasting and accessible to all college students will improve acceptance of how UT’s historical past intertwines with Black college students. 

“In the event that they (put up everlasting shows) it’ll pull in additional consciousness and much more eyes for folks to come back and take a look at UT… exhibiting that UT actually has our backs and so they actually help us in that means,” Williams stated.

Hosseini is a global relations freshman from Sugar Land, Texas. Muthukrishnan is a authorities and race, indigeneity and migration freshman from Los Gatos, California.