Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 1 No. 2 Voice

“And I think that is one of the best
ways to amplify my voice personally
to make me feel celebrated as a Black
woman. Is them valuing my opinion in
areas where I would have a different
level of expertise than they would
ever be able to reach, no matter how
much they read, no matter how much
they go through, just from the sole
factor of my skin color.”
Emphasis upon one’s skin color
was showcased through the choice
for a movie during the OneUA
campaign. “The Hate U Give,” a 2018
film focusing on police brutality,
was shown on Sept. 22nd. The film
struck a nerve with its audience by
showing, through a fictional story,
the real-life occurrences and effects
of police brutality on the Black
community. With the recent crimes
of police brutality against George
Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland
and countless others, this issue could
no longer be swept under the rug
and kept out of sight. “We truly saw
a lot of people wanting to become
allies. A lot of people are starting to
want to learn about police brutality,
specifically as it affects Black people,”
said Hunter.
With this campaign and the ongoing
work to understand current racial
issues, it may seem that racial tensions
are being resolved, but this racial
wound cannot be healed so quickly.
These wounds are much deeper and
long-lasting as stated by Hunter,
“Racism is not just somebody being
murdered. It’s not just lynchings that
happened years and years ago in the
last century. It is everything that you
are doing today. It’s the system that
we’re living in.”
A systemically racist environment
is still prevalent in office and
campus cultures, shown through the
interruption of a Black colleague or
the minimization of a Black friend’s
emotions about an uncomfortable
incident. Systemic racism continues
the cycle of silencing Black voices
and minority students’ voices.
Overlooking people of color and their
experiences becomes commonplace
unless they stand out through their
own merit, such as through athletics
and/or entertainment. This platform
of exceptionalism grants them
the ability to have their issues and
concerns acknowledged and listened
to. Value is placed upon them and
their wants that is not granted to all
people of color, a sentiment shared
by Hunter from past comments she
has heard.
“Oh, my gosh, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj,
you know, Viola Davis, Whitney
Houston, Mariah Carey. All these
women are so strong, so great. But
then you’re not allowing the Black
woman in your life to speak, then what
are you truly doing for us? Or when
you are saying Roll Tide at football
games or at a basketball game and
you are cheering for all these Black
bodies on the court [and] on the field.
What are you doing for the Black men
in your life?” Hunter said.
Advocating for people of color,
specifically Black people in your
life, is a delicate issue and must be
handled with care. Otherwise, wellintentioned
help or recognition can
be perceived as self-serving. “Being
an ally versus being a savior is a
fine line to walk and you never want
people to go into the savior portion,”
said Hunter. Worrying more about
appearances and reputation should
never be more important than
actually working towards equality
because the truth is that the work
being done is messy and hard but
vital for generations to come.
“And so if you kind of look at the
microcosm of the University of
Alabama. It’s not perfect. And I’m
not sure if anything is ever going
to be perfect. But, if we just remain
stagnant in the fact that it isn’t
perfect, we aren’t going to grow and
we aren’t going to be able to make
a better life for the people who are
coming after us. We have come so far,
we’re right here. We’re not taking a
victory lap, because we still have so
far to go. But the only way that we can
get to that point is if we all commit
to understanding that growth
is not easy. Growth is not linear,
growth takes time. It takes awkward
conversations. It takes frustration. It
takes butting heads. It takes differing
opinions.”
30