Black at Fairfield
Started June 21, 2020, Black at Fairfield (@blackatfairfield) is an Instagram account dedicated to sharing and amplifying the voices and stories of both POC at Fairfield University and their allies. The stories shared on the account are all anonymous. Their mission statement is as follows,
“The purpose of this page is to ensure that voices of students past, present, and future are heard. We want to amplify the voices of students. Some students may not be as vocal as others and that is okay. This is a page that gives you the opportunity to be anonymous and voice your opinions at the same time. Rest assured this page is made by students and is for the students. Please remember that this page is not to censor students but to give students a platform to talk about these issues and problems that are within Fairfield University.”
The Point Magazine believes in the mission of @blackatfairfield and wishes to extend our platform to them in hopes that their stories will be heard by more.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. We believe that the work you’re doing to share people’s stories and experiences is extremely important. What made you want to start this page?
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: Thank you for having us. We wanted to start this page to ensure that the voices of students past, present, and future are heard. We want to amplify the voices of the students and share the experiences/opportunities to aid the movement. Some students may not be vocal as others and that is okay. This is the page that gives you the opportunity to be anonymous and voice your opinions at the same time. Rest assured this page is made by students and is for the students so we refrain from any content that may detach from our intended target audience. We all have misconceptions and those misconceptions occur because we all have different perspectives on topics and issues. The purpose of the page puts everyone in the same perspective.
What has the response been to your page?
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: The response to our page has been extremely positive. Numerous people reached out to us privately about their thoughts and feelings on that page. We are incredibly grateful to have the support of so many people within the community that are so receptive to the content we put out.
“If the University reached out to want to work with you to change the culture at Fairfield, is that something you would consider?”
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: Yes, we would be interested in working with the University. We want to change the culture at Fairfield. We want all people to feel included and comfortable on campus. Honestly, if any department reached out to work with us, we would consider it. We are aware that the phenomenal library staff on campus hosts the “Human Library”, which is an event that works to share stories of real life people in our community. An event like that exists on campus and is similar to what we are doing with this page.
After reading all of the stories shared on your account it is evident that Fairfield University as well as Fairfield’s community has a lot of work to do in dismantling both systemic and internal racism. What do you think would be a good first step for the University to take towards being an ally for the POC community?
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: A good first step is actually a series of steps. A good start would be to first recognize the Fairfield University campus that still has racism embedded in its history and its culture. With that information, it is important that this is addressed in the orientations that our first year students go through during the semester. Exposing students from the start goes a long way and can change the minds of many students who are attentive during orientation. The same idea should transition into the FYE classes and be a topic of discussion -- “Being an anti-racist or ally”. In addition, the University needs to take community involvement seriously and promote involvement with clubs/student engagement. Some of our university fees go towards funding those exact things so students need to be encouraged to take part in the community. We understand the level of difficulty that college is for many attending so community involvement
We as a university need to burst that bubble that students gladly stay in and expose them to the many realities of their peers who are BIPOCS.
Do you feel the University's response to the murder of George Floyd and The Black Lives Matter moment was sufficient?
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: No, the response that Fairfield University published was not sufficient. It wasn't really a response to begin with. Other schools around the world made responses that directly addressed the intolerance of racism, police brutality and the importance of Black Lives Matter movement. Other universities stood in solidarity with their students of color. While Fairfield University danced all around the point. The “response” was more or an insult to the POC on campus. The response demonstrated to the POC on campus that not only were they ignored but that their lives don't matter and their problem can be swept under the rug.
Do you feel that Fairfield’s response upheld their Jesuit values?
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: No, there are two noteworthy values from the Jesuits that easily should have motivated Fairfield’s response to be as strong as it needed to be. The first, “Contemplatives in Action”, expresses that although we are thoughtful and philosophical, we do not merely think about social problems, we take action to address them. The second, “Men and Women for others and with others” is a value embodies a spirit of giving and providing service to those in need and standing with the poor and marginalized. We are encouraged to pursue justice on behalf of all persons.
We are not here to bash our university, but we would be lying if we said we were not disappointed with the delayed statement and actions taken after the uproar by our nation.
Cancel culture, which had previously been meant to cancel the voices of famous people who the public thought did wrong, has become very common during this time. Racist companies have fallen as their staff, employees, and customers voices have been amplified. Conde Nast, Reformation, Chick-fil-a, and so many others have faced extreme scrutiny during this time. What do you think of cancel culture, and do you believe that there is room for redemption if a company or a person can ultimately do the work required to dismantle their internal racism?
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: As a page we do not agree with “cancel culture” but instead “counsel culture”. As a collective, there is always space so we can discuss and counsel each other into positive thinking. It’s necessary for people to grow from their mistakes but they must show that they have fully matured from their old perspective. We live in a world where negativity is ruling the narrative on social media and in society, so we need to work to push a change of mindset across individuals in a positive manner. For the readers of this (especially allies), we would like to encourage the “Feel, Felt, Found” persuasive method that can help people whenever they are trying to convince another person to think their way.
Feel: Understanding how that person feels and validating their sentiment -- “I understand how you feel and it makes sense that you feel that way”
Felt: Mentioning how that person is not alone in that feeling, but you or others have overcome that feeling -- “I felt that same way [to an extent], ....”
Found: A moment of realization that allowed you to bypass that social/mental obstacle -- “But what I have found is …”
What role do you feel performance activism plays in social media? Do you feel like it’s effective because more people end up seeing important information, or do you see it as strictly performance based and unhelpful.
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: Activism on social media is so crucial. Social media plays a big role in our society nowadays and influences its users to be socially aware of the many issues that go on around us. With influencers, more and more people are listening to what is said and reflecting upon it. People are able to see things on social media much faster than anything else out right now. We live in a time where we can learn so much on how we can help and push significant change in our lifetime.
That’s huge!
BLACK AT FAIRFIELD: A quick observation. We noticed that a new Fairfield University Darty Instagram was created recently, with all respect to those who took the time to create that page and remember moments from the previous semester. The page has a Following of 1000+ people while @BlackatFairfield has a following of 800+. This alone shows us the interests of the students and what many of the students at the University care more about. Granted, we understand that followers do not reflect the views of the mass majority at Fairfield, but if it is any indication of where the attention is going then we should be worried as a collective community.
Students entering the fall semester should prioritize social activism, especially now where physical contact and interaction is so low we have an opportunity to dedicate our time to dive deeper into the issues of the world and come together to fight injustice and racism on and off campus.
I believe that your page remaining anonymous and sharing stories that are also anonymous makes your page incredibly impactful. The stories you’ve shared show that racism unequivocally still exists at Fairfield, there is a lot of work to be done by both the University and it’s community and the work you’re doing will hopefully show people just how much needs to change.
Thank you for answering my questions, for starting and running this account, and for giving people a voice.
Interview by Eleanor Davis, Editor in Chief