Dean’s Blog: Building bridges and finding common ground
Earlier this semester, George Mason University hosted its Access to Research and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Conference, an exciting event dedicated to critical discussions about how to transform existing systems, structures, and practices to better include underrepresented communities. In addition to lightning talks, round table and panel discussions, and networking opportunities, the conference even offered a meditation and relaxing area and a guided tour of the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial.
One of the highlights was the keynote to kick off the second day, the Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, a race and gender justice activist, and daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Her inspiring address wove parables to meaningfully illustrate the importance of searching for common ground.
Her conference session overview notes, ‘After more than two years of COVID-19, the world will never be the same. The disease showed us our weaknesses in communities, our country, and the world. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.’ Rather, it ‘gives us the chance to create a brighter future, where everyone can thrive.’
Striving for Justice, seeking and increasing common ground
One of the most memorable travel experiences I have had in my life was visiting the prison in which Nelson Mandela was held captive for over 27 years in South Africa; it helped me better understand Mandela’s humanity in a much broader context of 20th century history. Tutu talked of Mandela during his early days in prison, taking time at the very onset to seek out the stories behind the humanity of his captors. First words of “Good morning, what is your name?” acknowledging that we are all human and that the stories of all humanity matter, a good thing to recall when searching for common ground.
Tutu also suggested we each walk in someone else’s shoes for five minutes. Take the time to understand what brought them to you. What brings us all to this place of incredible learning and discovery. (Let’s explore sharing common goals and learning more about each other). And as we learn, be sure we each acknowledge their stories, because that is what makes them who they are.
We are currently in a time of change and challenge. Instead of digging into what we know and think, Tutu encouraged us to reach out for a new perspective on doing things. In a parable of flood preparation, she recounted ‘the wise will build bridges’ instead of walls. We can use our diversity of thought and experience to build a better community—our diversity can build bridges, not the ever-present walls and historical silos.
Tutu passionately explained to the session audience about the need for new ideas and opportunities, “The ways we have done things in the past aren’t always going to work well today. We need new people sometimes to think out of the way we know things are done.”
When the flood is coming, do we just turn, run and get out of the way of the water? In a time of crisis and difficulty, the wise reach out to people who have had a different experience in life, thinking differently. No, we actually need many minds to get out of it. We should not close the conversations, limiting stories hinders our access to diverse perspectives.
Diversity is each one of us. How we identify. How to address the challenge, build the programs, and serve our students, staff and faculty. Each brings something different to the table. As we embrace the announcement of our new leadership, I encourage us to get engaged, share ideas and let’s build the bridges together.
