The biannual event gives time for honest conversations and vulnerability
The Student Center for Reconciliation and Diversity (SCRD) and the Spiritual Formation SALT team hosted this semester’s Uncommon Conversations in the Cougar Dome on Wednesday.
Held twice a year, Uncommon Conversations is an event that allows students to have conversations they might not otherwise have on campus since many people are focused on their work.
Students were given a profile of someone at APU to review. The students read what they have gone through and what defines them. Participants said the practice allowed them to step out of their bodies for a minute to consider another person.
Participants then prayed over the profiles and discussed what they read. One of the questions they had to answer was why they believe the person in the profile faced the challenges they did. By doing this, the students got a chance to see what similarities they have with each other in ways they may not have realized by just looking at each other.
This “social experiment” also involved student activities such as the “Will You Stand If” activity and the “Privilege Walk.” These activities allowed privileged students physically realize how it feels to be a minority or to have experienced things that negatively affect their future.
Pastor Ta’Tyana Leonard, associate director of Corporate Worship, headed this event. According to Leonard, she originated Uncommon Conversations after Donald Trump was elected as president in 2016.
“How can we honor God with the way we speak to each other?” Leonard asked. “How can we empathize better, and have these challenging conversations about race politics, sexuality, because the election had just … divided us so much, how can we bring people together to have these tough conversations?”
Having a space where they could have these hard conversations attracted many curious students, eager to learn and listen.
Senior communications major Lauren Dawson attended the event for the first time.
Dawson said that even though she would assume that there would be a lot of differences between her and her profile of a white male, they had more similarities than differences.
“More students should be here, especially because we don’t always take the time to actually get to know someone, or their story,” Dawson said.
Olivia Su, a sophomore graphic design major and SALT team member, commented on how the event is beneficial to students.
“Uncommon Conversations allows people of color to speak up and share their different experiences,” Su said. “It has impacted me because I realized the difficulties that other people go through, and was able to see the world through their point of view.”
The next Uncommon Conversations will be held on April 7.