Members of the Student Assembly (SA) brainstormed ways to improve Boston College’s culture surrounding issues of race during its meeting on Tuesday night, calling on the BC community to more effectively respond to bias-related incidents on campus.
The discussion followed an alleged incident in a freshman perspectives class on Monday, in which a white student claimed that racism no longer exists in the US and proceeded to ask a Black student if they are a slave, according to AHANA+ Leadership Council (ALC) Policy Coordinator Chrishawna Johnson.
The Heights has not yet confirmed the alleged incident and the details surrounding it.
A student in the class told Johnson about the incident, which occurred while a Black and white student were discussing ideas about race, she said.
“The white freshman started his conversation saying ‘I respect the Founding Fathers and their ideologies, but I don’t see how it makes sense for people of color to destroy their own hoods,’” Johnson said.
Students of color in the class tried to explain to the white student why what he said was not right, according to Johnson. While the professor tried to change the topic, Johnson said the white student attempted to continue the conversation.
“The [white] student goes to state that he believes racism doesn’t exists today,” she said. “He asked a Black student ‘Are you a slave?’”
The SA also discussed BC’s process for recording class lectures and plans to improve BC Dining on Tuesday.
According to Jonah Kotzen, the Council for Students with Disabilities policy coordinator and MCAS ’24, this incident highlights deeper problems within BC’s culture.
“We need to think about how we fix the culture,” Kotzen said. “We should think about this through everything we do.”
Joshua Golden, SA representative and member of the Community Relations Committee, said the administration should focus on how to educate students not only after bias-related incidents occur but beforehand.
BC’s current programming for incoming freshmen involves an online course called DiversityEDU, which aims to “promote diversity and inclusion by teaching students skills in addressing unconscious biases and stereotypical thinking,” according to BC’s Division of Student Affairs website.
“You shouldn’t necessarily just get away with these things when you say awful things,” Golden, MCAS ’25, said. “I think protection against [bias-related incidents] in the future is education.” The administration could do more to support students and communities affected by bias-related incidents, according to Johnson.
“Even if you do take all the steps to report an isolated incident, you often find there could be better accountability from the administration,” she said. “It is very disheartening, very disappointing… to know that students don’t value your right to an education. When things like this happen I cannot focus on my school work. This affects a whole community of students who have to drop everything they’re doing to console the student.”
Thompson Penn, SA representative and member of the Student Life Committee, suggested the University consider creating working groups to discuss bias-related incidents on campus.
“Action does need to be taken,” Penn, CSOM ’25, said. “It personally makes me sick to see this happening.”
Both ALC and FACES—an anti-racism organization at Boston College—said they will release statements about the incident shortly, according to Johnson.
Update (10/26/2022, 12:15 p.m.): This article was updated to clarify The Heights has not yet independently confirmed the incident and was solely reporting on what was discussed in a UGBC meeting.
