FCA Alum Experiences Racism On Campus
Video commentary by Aneara Burns, FNN Alumni Coordinator, and Freshman, Suny Oswego, New York.
MAR. 12, 2021: Hello, my name is Aneara Burns and I am a freshman at SUNY Oswego. Around early November of 2020, some students took it upon themselves to instigate a series of racist pranks. First, there were some people going around town wearing Klu Klux klan attire. Then, some students, ‘Zoom bombed’ our classes. They would join zoom classes uninvited, type racial and homophobic slurs and then leave. I was in a class when two students started typing slurs in the chat. I remember my roommate and I were shocked because it completely came out of nowhere. No one said anything but I could see the look on the professor’s face. He wasn’t even black and it wasn't clear if he was gay. He looked hurt while they called him all these horrible names so he immediately ended the call. A day later there was an email sent around campus about how that type of behavior isn't tolerated. But, they never found out who actually did it. No one was actually punished. Being a black woman in a conservative white town during these events made me fear for my safety. I told my family members about what had happened and they didn’t want me to return to SUNY Oswego. Because it’s far from D.C. and if something bad happened to me they wouldn’t be in reach. When I went into town, I'd see TRUMP 2020 flags waving almost everywhere and I would even see them on campus. And when I went to the local Walmart, there would be a lot of stares. All of this just made me feel totally uncomfortable. It made me wonder about some of my classmates and certainly the white ones. I want to open up and make friends but I don’t want to be a victim of a hate crime. I just don’t think I should have to worry about that in college. Sadly that’s how the world is, and it isn’t anything new. I’ve recently been thinking about going to an HBCU next semester because I know it’s a place where I will feel comfortable and I won’t have to be afraid of someone discriminating against me.