Two Opposing Sides Connected Through a Central Theme

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In our collection, my group and I have decided to highlight the emergence of different student groups at Kenyon. Within the history of clubs and organizations, we saw a large increase in the number of groups centered around diversity. In our case, we specifically highlight the Black Student Union (BSU), a student group that became an official campus organization in 1970. In the past 50 years, BSU has accomplished many different goals including starting a Black student scholarship fund, establishing a Multicultural Center on campus, and hosting events that bring in different Black artists and writers to Kenyon. Thinking more critically about groups such as BSU, it is necessary to both consider their importance for the inclusion of all students, yet also acknowledge how Kenyon is still exclusive in many ways. From doing more thoughtful research on BSU, I am left wondering how to celebrate the accomplishments of BSU while still holding the institution of Kenyon accountable for its exclusive nature.

In The Struggle for the People's King, Hajar Yazdiha argues that the collective memory surrounding the civil rights movement does not fully adequately equate to the intended goals of Martin Luther King Jr. More specifically, Yazdiha claims that in political contexts, groups invoke ideas from the civil rights movement to solely back up their goals. Even further, she suggests that how groups actively mold the civil rights movement, contorts its meaning, thus constructing a false narrative of Dr. King’s legacy. In chapter 3, Yazdiha explains how in the case of the Take Back Miami-Dade Campaign, the Family Values Movement drew on collective memory to sway Black Christian voters and claim that their struggles can not be equated to the hardships of gay people. At the same time, pro-gay activists retaliated by presenting the proximity of Dr. King to queer people. In both cases, Yazdiha is demonstrating how these groups are changing the memory of the civil rights movement in a strategic manner. Groups position themselves closer to Dr. King’s legacy which forces his words to be taken out of context, and thus fragmented for political leverage.

The ideas introduced by Yazdiha remind me of my exploration in the BSU archives, as the organization’s relationship with the school suggests a somewhat similar two-sided coin. More specifically, I have heard two distinctive narratives surrounding the presence of this club. Through different discussions, I have heard rhetoric claiming that Kenyon is a place successful in prioritizing inclusion, working to bring in students and professors of diverse backgrounds. On the flip side, many other individuals argue Kenyon is an exclusive place, as the majority of the student population is white, and many feel as though there is not enough support for students of color from a larger, institutional level. When discussing this matter, both sides utilize language such as “inclusive”, “prioritizing diversity”, and “students of different backgrounds”. While both groups are actively suggesting two separate things, it is interesting that the words and phrases they use are very similar, as everyone involved is advocating for diversity and inclusion. 

Much like in the Take Back Miami-Dade campaign, in the case of BSU, all students and faculty members are invoking themes of diversity to make their claims more legitimate. As Yazdiha highlights, “groups are perceived either as morally credible in their uses of collective memory or as illegitimate messengers”, which in turn forces groups to situate themselves closer to inclusion. However, as groups do this, they often lose the notion of inclusion all together.  Similar to the pro/anti-gay rights leaders in Miami, both groups advocating for diversity at Kenyon are working to center their ideas closer to diversity and inclusion for the purpose of their argument.


References: 

Yazdiha, H. (2023) The Struggle For The People’s King. Princeton University Press. 

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