Eastern professors teach racial minorities how to survive academic settings.

One session, titled “Racial Bullying: Can Minority Students Survive and Thrive in the Academy? Yes!” was led by Sham’Ah Md-Yunus, Richard G. Jones, Jr., Teresa Maria Linda Scholz, and Mildred Pearson.

This was one of the sessions for the Bullying Prevention Conference.

In this session they explained the ways in which minorities can survive and succeed in the academy by systematic support and mentoring. They spoke on the topic of social/relational bullying with an intent to hurt someone’s social reputation.

Mildred Pearson, the founder of the conference, said this form of is bullying is the cause of many cases of suicides.

Richard G. Jones, a professor of communication, said his concept is to connect theory and activism in a way that has positive material effects for marginalized people, which ultimately leads to social change.

Jones said people sometimes face the decision of making an academic identity for themselves or listening to their hearts.

Linda Scholz, a professor of communications, emphasized relationship skills and self-management; she spoke strongly on racial micro-aggression focusing on racial bullying.

Scholz said micro aggressions are very subtle; therefore, we have to pay close attention to the aggressions to notice them.

A micro aggression quick insult or denigrating message by a dominate culture to belittle someone that is perceived to be of a lower social class.

“You can’t shy away from talking about whiteness and white privilege because they go hand and hand. Racism is rooted in white supremacist ideology,” Scholz said. “The everyday white supremacist ideology that gets perpetuated through micro aggressions.”

Micro aggressions can be in ways that we may stereotype people by what they look like or what society perpetuates them to be.

Scholz said in the case where there is someone in a position on power, students might not recognize it, and if they do recognize it, they will not know how to respond; with this, micro aggression goes unnoticed in the classroom.

Not addressing these micro aggressions in the classrooms has the possibility to impair the learning environment with many students.

Sham’Ah Md-Yunus, a professor of elementary education, said “Being Asian on this campus, I experience a glass ceiling theory. I can see things up there, but I cannot go there,”Yunus said. “You have so many doors, you just need to find the right key to open the door.”

Yunus said she models the students she mentors to be strong, active and to be proactive because she sees the potential for all of her students to be leaders.

She said being a minority faculty member to many students, is quite difficult for her at times; Yunus said students might believe she may not be “competent enough” to mentor them.

Yunus said being a faculty member of color means you need to be strong, thick skinned and determined while mentoring your students. Then students will begin to see you as a role model and someone they can look up to after all of the stereotypes and biases.

“As an institution, we need to provide hope, promises and possibilities. That is what is coming to EIU and that is what’s here,” Pearson said.

Pearson also presented the topic of gender passing with African-American women.

Gender passing also has a lot to do with racial bullying in the academy, which is an issue many minorities face while trying to succeed on their endeavors.

Pearson spoke about a story she read about African-American women and gender passing in the school system; she said in this story, African-American women were taught to be silent.

Pearson said they remain silent because if they were to stand up and voice their opinions, they would be known as the “angry” black woman.

Pearson also spoke about black women lacking proper relationships; she stated that black women search for certain support systems, such as kinships.

Minority students should find a strong network of support and they will be stronger because they will not be so lonely, Pearson said.

Pearson said she believes many minorities in educational institutions are operating in “an area of isolation,” they do not have many people who look like them; therefore, they feel as though they do not have a strong support system.

Pearson said students would not always have a mentor who looks like them; she said if they find a person who is compassionate about them, they should ask to be their mentee.

“There is something mystically powerful about connecting with people. And if you can find that connection at Eastern, the sky is the limit,” Pearson said.

Torri Griffith can be reached at 581-2812 or tlgriffith@eiu.edu