Despite being a liberal arts school that prides itself on diverse admissions, an accepting atmosphere, and its commitment to Jesuit values of social justice, one only needs to look around the campus of Boston College to see that the school is not just predominantly white, but often feels overwhelmingly so.
The unequal demographic is a product of a variety of systemic issues embedded in higher education. While these issues can feel too large for individual students to tackle alone, there are many ways to combat institutional racism on a personal level.
One way to do so is by addressing the social segregation that exists on campus. Along with its striking lack of diversity, Boston College’s social life often feels dominated by cliques. The student population is large enough that not everyone knows each other, yet small enough for distinct and often unchanging friend groups to form in each class. Among these friend groups, there is a clear racial divide, which is a common trend at predominantly white institutions.
The Boston College community must begin to notice this homogeneity and work to challenge this implicit dynamic. AHANA students often gravitate toward each other to seek comfort, empowerment, and in order to avoid negative stereotypes, while white students, so accustomed to being in the majority, hardly notice the absence of people of color in their friend groups.
White students can help mitigate this dynamic by engaging with spaces that decenter their whiteness. They can participate in events at the Bowman AHANA Intercultural Center (BAIC), attend lectures on campus that discuss institutional racism, and support student organizations run by students of color.
The themes of these discussions may feel uncomfortable for white students, who feel that they aren’t really “for them.” But AHANA students at PWIs often feel this way most of the time, as they look around and see that their school caters to a mostly white, often wealthy, student body. Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable.
White students’ college experiences do not typically require them to grapple with a sense of not belonging. We have had to learn about the effects of racism, while other students have lived it. We will inevitably have to go out of our way to “notice” these issues and challenge the status quo.
While attending these events is important, the next step toward closing the gap between yourself and your non-white peers is simply listening. White voices dominate this campus. Learning when not to speak can create space for others to share their stories.
There are also times, however, when it is essential to vocalize support for your peers of color. Issues that impact AHANA students on this campus are all too often silenced and treated as less important in the grand scheme of student life.
In 2017, when Black Lives Matter posters were vandalized in a residence hall, and even as recently as this semester, when Black students on campus received threatening messages in the wake of the election, the University’s administration did little to restore a sense of safety for these students.
By using your platform to listen to and amplify the struggles of non-white students, you can help bring attention to these issues, making clear to the administration that discrimination on campus is a concern for the entire Boston College community.
Another way students can take accountability in the face of this issue is by paying closer attention to the people they interact with during the week, rather than just living for the weekend.
Boston College is a competitive academic community, which makes it easy to adopt a mindset of putting your head down Monday through Friday to save your social battery for the weekend.
This kind of behavior perpetuates the stark racial divide between friend groups on campus and encourages us to retreat into familiar, comfortable spaces. Sharing a campus with people different from you should be an opportunity for mutual growth, and spending all of your time at Mod parties or bars with the same 40 white kids you see every weekend does not foster such an atmosphere.
We miss out on so much when we refuse to step outside our comfort zones. While it may seem like our social circles are inconsequential to the larger, systemic issues of race and equity, it is precisely these small, personal decisions that shape the fabric of our campus culture.
Boston College has a long way to go in addressing the social and racial inequities built into its structure, but change doesn’t always start with sweeping administrative reform.
Sometimes it begins with individuals willing to move beyond token gestures and performative allyship—those who make honest efforts to challenge their biases, confront their privilege, and take meaningful steps toward creating a more inclusive community.
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