JusTalks Organizers Speak About Day of Discussion and Reflection

JusTalks is happening this  J-term after almost a year and a half of hard work by students  engaging the administration and student body and encouraging them to support this day of discussion and reflection.  We reached out to the organizers of JusTalks to give them a chance to explain what excites them about it and what it means to them. Here is what they had to say:

**(MiddBlog accidentally put up the wrong version of the JusTalks organizers’ post and then had techinical diffuculties changing it. We apolgize and present to you here the updated version).**

With the support of dozens Middlebury organizations and teams, the selection of a diverse and enthusiastic group of twenty students facilitators, and 180 participant spots filled, the first-ever JusTalks is taking shape. A full description of the program is available on our website but here’s our elevator pitch: JusTalks is a day of facilitated discussion about who we are as individuals and what that means for our community. Organizing the event has been as much about inclusiveness (How do we make sure individuals are not serving as the sole representatives of “their” identity group? How do we incorporate students who do not think “diversity” applies to them?) as vision (a dedicated space and time for talking about what doesn’t get talked about in the classroom) but as January 18th approaches, we wanted to share how we got involved in JusTalks and what we’re excited about:

Quotes from JusTalks organizers after the jump.

“I felt like I started to get to know my peers during orientation, but often, deeper conversations were halted once the craziness of the semester started. I view JusTalks not as a solution to any problem at Middlebury, but as a means of restarting and continuing that conversation.“

-Kate McCreary ’15

“I became involved in JusTalks because I saw a need for conversations that bridge the divide between topics of identity and other areas of study.  If Middlebury is preparing students to interact with the world, it is important to examine the ways in which race, class, gender, ability, etc. intersect with the fields we continue to study.”

-Carllee James’ 13

“I am a white male who went to a single-sex private high school and I grew up in a wealthy suburb of Boston. Because of the limited exposure I had to people with different identities and from different backgrounds, I never gained the tools or opportunity to think deeply about issues of identity and privilege. JusTalks appealed to me not because I had already been super involved with social justice issues and had reflected extensively on my own experiences, but because I had never gotten a real opportunity to do so.”

-Josh Swartz ’14.5

“I was amazed by what a strong and safe community was built over just three days during the spring Posse Plus Retreat, and couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have such an accepting community back on Middlebury’s campus. I believe JusTalks can help to begin the process of forming a stronger, more united, more inclusive community at Middlebury College.”

-Alice Oshima ’15

“My goal in working towards JusTalks was to make room in our four-years at Middlebury for conversations that we too often “don’t have time for” or aren’t part of the course material. Even among close friends, discussions about race, class, money, ability, insecurities, and discomfort are too often quieted as we sprint through our courses and extracurriculars.”

-Elma Burnham ’13

“For me, JusTalks is about having the opportunity to learn what it means to enter a conversation with all of my preconceptions and stereotypes, set them aside for a few hours, and have the time to speak honestly from my experience and listen deeply to that of others.”

-Ian Stewart ’14

“Engaging with, affirming and examining our identities is of paramount importance today, perhaps more than ever. With that in mind, I joined Justalks in pursuit of a Middlebury community—one that includes myself—that takes on the responsibility of “engaging the world” through the ongoing process of unpacking identities.“

-Alex Jackman ’14

“The first major piece of putting JusTalks together was canvassing a huge portion of student groups from sports teams to affinity groups, social houses to fundraising groups, which has meant that its grown more from the ideas of students than any specific agenda, something that I believe will keep it dynamic and accessible to all of the Middlebury student body.”

-Hudson Cavanagh ’14

“I get really psyched when other students come to me with their ideas, their concerns, or just their general support for JusTalks. I sincerely hope that this event is the first of many here at Middlebury.“

-Afi Yellow-Duke ’15

Readers, does JusTalks sound like an effective way to engage the community and confront issues in it? If you are participating, why did you choose to? If you are not, why did you choose not to?