As an undergrad at Bryant College in the early 90s, I joined every group except the black student groups. I wrote for the campus paper, was a member of the Marketing Club, the International Club, Hunger Coalition - everything but black student groups. I felt out of place because I grew up in a predominately white community. I didn't feel "black" enough, like I didn't experience enough of "my people," whatever that meant. (I now realize, through age and experience, that the "black experience" is just going through life as a black person, which is decidedly different than experiencing it as a white person.)
I wondered whether or not a group meant only for the black students on campus contributed to the alienation and lack of community among the rest of the student population. What purpose did it serve? I had a healthy social life, and a supportive circle of friends - did it matter what race they were?
Earlier this year, I was asked to coordinate and facilitate the Black Women's Group at Tufts. My first reaction was to wonder how well I could connect to the women on campus, mostly because of the age difference. I can clearly see the benefits of continuing a group like this on campus. The Black Women's Group is not an attempt to isolate from the rest of the student body, nor is it a political or any type of social statement. The purpose of our group is to discuss school, relationships, and body image in a safe environment with people who can relate to the experience. No matter how liberal, educated, or aware one is, if a person is not black, then that person cannot genuinely know the experience of a black person.
The Black Women's Group is one of the oldest student groups of the African-American Center and I am proud to be a part of it. In the past, themes focused on physical and mental body images of black women. This year, my goal was to make sure that the women take an active part in the group, rather than my dictating what the topic is. My ultimate goal is to have one person facilitate a subject of her choice. So far, we have discussed feminism and its definition (not a discussion of hating men, but a discussion of male appreciation, and how they can assist in creating equal opportunities for women), books, movies, relationships, schools and standardized testing, body image, and skin color.
Skin color and hair are very sensitive topics in the black community. For women, it is a big step to wear her hair in its natural state, either as an afro or as locks. Skin tone is also a concern, because many times a darker skin tone is not seen as attractive either in the black community or in others. We discuss what it means to us emotionally and in societal situations.
Body image and the sexualization of black women's bodies are also of great concern to the black women on campus. We've discussed the videos as shown on BET or MTV. Some of the women are disgusted and believe that the videos exploit and objectify, while others believe that it is the right of the women in the video to participate or not. Others think that the images of black women are positive, that it is healthy to view them as sexy and desirable.
Marguerite Phillips is a graduate student studying Urban and Environmental Policy. She is the head of the Black Women's Group.
