“Our campus has witnessed many incidents that have sown a seed of discord amongst people of different ethnic backgrounds in College.”
From neo-Nazi marches in the US, to attacks on mosques in New Zealand, it seems that crimes centred on hate for certain races, cultures, or religions are on the rise around the world. In Trinity, this year has been somewhat of an outlier in the number of racist incidents recorded publicly. With an outcry against insensitive debate topics, a blatant display of racism with a student being subjected to the n-word in a debate about “free speech”, and the Burkean Journal article about eugenics entitled “Not All Are Born Equal,” our campus has witnessed many incidents that have sown a seed of discord amongst people of different ethnic backgrounds in College.
As one of the most diverse campuses in the country, Trinity is host to many different cultures, so it is hard to imagine that students would be subjected to such intolerance here.
Abdulaquir Abshir, a third year Engineering student and Chairperson of the Afro-Caribbean Society, is actively involved in many aspects of College life, and experienced a direct incident of racism earlier this year. “In early February, I was walking from TBSI [Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute] to the main campus when a woman spat at me and told me that I was the reason for the problems that Dublin is currently experiencing. She went on to tell me that I should have never emigrated [sic] here.”
Being a Dublin native who was born in the city, Abshir was shocked by this attack. He reported the incident to the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Ethnic Minorities Officer. In terms of speaking out about instances of racism on campus, Abshir states that he prefers to be neutral and keep his opinion private, as this may become misinterpreted as being the response of all black people on campus. “I am the president of a student society,” he says, “not an ambassador of all black students on campus, just as the Afro-Caribbean Society is not a mouthpiece for all black people everywhere. I want my role as the ACS President to provide a platform for others, and not myself.”
“He also believes that TCDSU has a vital role to play in ensuring that everyone on campus feels safe and included.”
When asked about his place in the Trinity community, he mentions that he feels that his voice is heard, but he fully understands and acknowledges that there are some students on campus who might not be in a similar position, and who may be feeling excluded or isolated. When he commented on how relations between all people on the campus can be improved – staff and administration included – he discussed many different ideas, celebrating the steps that have been taken, and mentioning the areas in which all can improve. “The establishment of the Ethnic Minorities Office is a great start. Societies must also be trained to deal with discrimination appropriately, and we must astutely draw the line between free speech and hate speech,” he states. He also believes that TCDSU has a vital role to play in ensuring that everyone on campus feels safe and included.
In an interview with Trinity News, a representative of the TCD Arabesque Society believes that its voice on campus is partially hindered due to the fact that it is “quite a niche society”. They also mentioned that people sometimes misconstrue this to think that the society is “just for Arabs” which they believe is a “real shame because that’s not what it’s like at all”. They also mentioned that they feel there has been an increase in “debating about race and similar issues”. The society mentioned that this was a positive move in the direction of allowing students, societies, and administration to speak up more about diversity and the other issues that surround it.
Overall, the society believes that “it’s important for the SU to ensure they make those students who fit somewhere in the middle between international and local feel comfortable by creating fun events that still engage culture and language”. They believe that this is necessary to help include students who may feel a bit isolated on campus, so they can weave themselves into the fabric of the campus community more easily. It will also help in “allowing more members who believe that they aren’t the ‘expected’ type to join”.
“TCDSU Ethnic Minorities Officer, Navika Mehta, noted that she has had students report incidents of racism and racial discrimination that occurred ‘on campus grounds, in societies, and even in classes’.”
The TCDSU Ethnic Minorities Officer, Navika Mehta, noted that she has had students report incidents of racism and racial discrimination that occurred “on campus grounds, in societies, and even in classes”. She encourages others to speak out against racism publicly, as she believes that those who witness these atrocities have a moral duty to speak out against racism. She mentions that the SU have a big role in ensuring that those who experience these incidents are rightly represented and acknowledged, but she mentions that “even then getting people to take action is an extremely difficult task.”
In terms of the solutions that can be reached Mehta says: “There are two things that need to be done urgently in Trinity and are in the works. Firstly a process to report racism is urgently needed; secondly workshops on how to deal with racist attacks in a public setting [to be held] for class reps, societies, lecturers, and even staff.”
However, these incidents of intolerance aside, the overall consensus is that students feel that the campus community treats them well and with respect. Several students of different racial and cultural backgrounds reported never having directly experienced or witnessed racism on campus.
According to Aghogho Atiyota, a third year Pharmacy student, the campus is “very multicultural”. He has also seen from experience that “Trinity embraces all races, and respects all its students, regardless of their race”. Some students mentioned that from what they’ve witnessed in their time in Trinity, “the relations between those of different ethnic groups in the College have been amazing. Everyone accepts everyone for who they are, regardless of where they are from.”
It is clear that those on campus who are from minority groups are still experiencing instances of racial discrimination and racism. There are various measures in place to protect those who are in this position, but the major point raised by students is that there is room for improvement.
