I’m the only person from East Africa here
So that's the thing, we are feeling so detached. I think, I think that I'm the only person from East Africa here, right? I haven't met anybody else. If I go into class and I find there is 35 white people and there is like, two Africans, I would feel like a minority [...]. We are literally two in like twenty-five something white students. So if I am sitting in class, or if I am just there [on campus] and something happens to me, why would I go to a white person? Colonizers. Why would I go to a white - like, why would I go to administration? Who would I even tell? [...] If I tell a white person, they may not relate to what I am saying.
Recommendations
-
Create an inter-university and college roster of peer supporters and educators that includes international and domestic student leaders across genders.
-
Sign on with a service such as KeepMe.Safe, which connects students with mental health professionals from cultures around the world and promote this service as part of university SV/SA service provision.
-
When responding to a disclosure or report of sexual violence involving racially or ethnically marginalized students, provide these students with the choice to work with someone who shares their cultural or racial identity or someone who does not.
-
Engage in activities to develop anti-racism as it pertains to sexual violence prevention and response. Apply anti-racist practices in these areas.
-
Engage in activities to develop cultural responsiveness as it pertains to sexual violence prevention and response. Apply culturally responsive practices in these areas.