Every week, the editorial board reflects on a current issue in Our View. The position taken does not reflect the views of everyone on the Hilltop Views staff. This week’s editorial board is composed of Viewpoints Editors Victoria Cavazos and Sully Lockett and Editors-in-Chief Rosemond Crown and Jacob Rogers.

The point of our race issue is not to cast blame. We don’t want to point fingers at the university or at each other for being non-inclusive, biased, or outright racist. The point is to facilitate a conversation about race that is open, informative and engaging.

Racism is institutional, and institutions are composed of people who are always changing. Rather than pigeonholing diversity as a struggle then, the aim of our campus dialogue about racial issues should be at finding more constructive ways of respecting and understanding each other. 

Discussions about race invariably approach uncomfortable territory. When we talk about race as a society, we usually talk about it as a detriment. We talk about how it causes misunderstandings, how it bars people from opportunities and how it divides us. We rarely talk about how it enriches.

But diversity is what makes the world rich; the exponential number of species and subspecies of plant and animal life allow for a diverse, sustainable ecosystem where each player makes a distinct contribution.

Ecosystems are delicate and rely on this diversity – removing even one piece can throw the whole balance off, and although the earth is resilient and will eventually adapt, it’s important to make the effort to preserve our environment.

Societies function in a similar fashion. When one or several cultures is silenced or made invisible, the whole society suffers. Institutions become monochromatic, and instead of relying on several lenses to inform them, societies become dependent on only one narrow, dominant slice of experience.

The human experience is so much larger and varied, and all of us are capable of learning about life from multiple points of views. Sharing stories, mythologies, concerns and problems unique to our own experiences is essential to improving the state of relations at our university, our nation and in our world.

As students at a university, we have a responsibility to engage each other in conversations about our experiences. We need to talk about race and culture, and not just in a generic “we represent dozens of different states and countries on our campus” kind of way.

A truly representative and diverse campus does not only seek to enroll foreign and minority students; it celebrates them.

The Black Student’s Alliance and the Multicultural Leadership Board have helped create and sustain a more active conversation about race on campus, but dialogue is still sporadic.

Other departments should be encouraged to contribute to this discussion as well, even if their primary goals aren’t improved cross-cultural relations or understanding.

At a Catholic university that promotes compassion and respect, learning to listen to each other should come easily to us. We should take advantage of the space we have to talk about race relations and learn about others’ lives.

Accessing and appreciating everyone’s cultures is something we have to practice constantly. None of us is colorblind, and assuming so is a cowardly way of relinquishing the privilege of confronting each others’ ideas and lifestyles.

Even though, and more likely because, they are primary and essential elements of our existence, themes of race, culture and identity are difficult to explore. But in order to achieve real understanding and peace, we need to dive deep into the issues that affect the fundamental aspects of our beings.

Cultural exploration needs to be essential, not optional. We should cherish and promote a diverse cultural landscape rather than assuming we are all the same because we live in the same community.

True exploration is messy and it is necessary. It takes some curiosity and courage, which you probably already have plenty of if you’re a university student.

After all, to take on your world is to be an educated traveler on every front; not just a tourist.