The Popel Shaw Center held its first Interracial Mixer to discuss racism, ethnic stereotypes, and ethnic erasure. The event included a mixture of food, conversation and informal company.

Vincent L. Stephens, director of the Popel Shaw Center and vice president of Student Life, stated, “Since our multi-racial population of students is almost 4%, it makes sense that there is an opportunity for students to build community. So, this year I decided to formalize it and call it the multiracial affinity group.”

“The idea is that every month we will have a gathering with food and conversation,” he continued, “[including] faculty and staff who would like to come. The goal is to give people a space to talk about who they are and talk about their experiences. This is a more general mixer, and then in October and November we will focus on specific topics, such as food traditions and spiritual traditions.”

Monica Thapa ’17 expressed her approval of the event remarking, “this is one of the first events I’ve been to since coming back from being abroad, and I think it’s important to have these conversations in a space that I feel like is very safe and welcoming; people are very open-minded in spaces like this.”

Part of the evening’s discussion included Dickinson’s take on diversity, and if the college as a whole is doing enough to promote diversity on campus. Alison Lanyon ’19 communicated her disappointment in Dickinson’s efforts toward diversity:

“We had this great demonstration during our Thanksgiving dinner last year with what is now called the Student Liberation Movement. I saw it and was really inspired and had hoped for positive changes to take effect and for the campus to become more inclusive. But to me, it seems as if that energy died out after that, and I was really disappointed because I had hoped to see some positive changes based on that and see people move in the direction of a more inclusive campus. But, it’s a new year and there are new faces on campus and hopefully, as the year progresses, more positive changes will be made…” Lanyon said.

Lanyon stated that, in her opinion, the college needs to keep making changes both on the institutional and the personal level.

“I think we as a college, as a student body, as people in general, [we] need to keep moving toward becoming the most inclusive group of people that we can be and I think that a lot of people do not necessarily understand how their actions affect those around them, and I think if people just took a second to analyze their problematic behavior, we would be in a lot better place” she maintained.

Approximately 15 people attended the event, which was held at Landis House from 6:30-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

The Popel Shaw Center will be holding similar events on a monthly basis at the Landis House, with food and conversation relating to different topics affecting multiracial issues and cultural identity.