Diversity presentation continues to educate

A year ago, a presentation was developed to address issues surrounding the Thomas Hart Benton murals in Woodburn Hall, Room 100.\nToday, the video and discussion sessions continue to educate students and faculty who attend class in the room.\nAnd leaders say the program is serving its purpose well.\nStudents taking any of the 21 full-semester classes held in Woodburn 100 are shown a video on the murals, which depict scenes from Indiana history, including one panel showing a group of Ku Klux Klan members burning a cross.\nPresentation leaders then lead a discussion on the painting's place in the classroom and it's relevance. The video contains a variety of opinions, and explains that the painting is a part of a 213-foot long mural, of which portions are placed all around campus. The video also explains the difficulties that would be involved in removing the murals from Woodburn. \nProblems surfaced two years ago when members of the Black Student Union protested the mural's placement in a classroom, where they said "students don't have the option of not looking at it."\nSenior Crystal Brown, president of the Black Student Union, said she believes that the presentation is important so that students can place the murals in a relevant context. Brown also helps lead the presentation.\n"The initiative was created because people couldn't choose the context with the mural broken up," Brown said. "We've taken the responsibility of holding the University accountable. It's important to address the context, placement and lack of education surrounding the murals. It's especially important to teach the incoming freshmen."\nLast year's BSU president, senior Gerald Mitchell is featured in the film, saying that the murals are "inappropriate and out of context in the classroom."\nGraduate student Keon Gilbert, who is a member of the Diversity Education Committee, helped create the video. \n"When the decision was made to allow the murals to remain -- and it was a difficult decision for the University -- there became a need to explain it to students," Gilbert said. "This is still relevant because it allows us the opportunity to talk about otherness, as opposed to just diversity. We need to remain committed to talking about those marginalized by society."\nThe students enrolled in the lecture of American History H106 watched the video Monday during the last 20 minutes of class, and they were engaged in a lively discussion led by Brown and Gilbert. \nThe students questioned the placement of the mural, although the general consensus was that the discussion inspired by the murals outweighed the possible offense of the content. Several students brought up Indiana history of race relations, some mentioning the National Socialist Movement's White Unity Rally on Aug. 25 in Indianapolis. \n"Having this mural in a classroom sparks discussion," sophomore Mary Clerkin said. "If it were in a room where only people who cared about diversity issues saw it, a significant portion of the population wouldn't be exposed to this type of discussion on diversity."\nAlthough Clerkin saw the session as a learning opportunity, several students left the classroom when the video started.\nBoth Gilbert and Brown agreed that the presentation needs more time and materials, but said they believe it is a step in the right direction.\n"It's hard to talk about all that needs to be talked about in 20 minutes," Gilbert said. "This is still in the beginning stages."\n-- Contact staff writer Kehla West at krwest@indiana.edu.