The Campus Conversations event Thursday, Dec. 6 will revolve around hate crimes, said Kaela Watson, coordinator with the University of Idaho Center for Volunteerism and Social Action.
Watson said this event happens each month, usually at 12:30 p.m. the last Wednesday or Thursday in the Idaho Commons.
“We pick a topic that is kinda hard to talk about, something that can be seen as pretty divisive or touchy, or something that’s a ‘hot’ topic, and we choose to talk about it,” Watson said.
Watson said these events create a great opportunity for students to state their opinions without fear of judgment.
“It’s very important for us that even if someone’s opinions and thoughts might be challenged, they are never going to be attacked and we really make that clear in our ground rules … the topics that we talk about are usually hard to talk about and so we really want to make sure that it is … a brave space,” Watson said.
Watson said this month’s conversation will revolve around hate crimes.
The conversation is titled “The Hate We See: Responding to Hate and Bias in Our Area and Nationally.” Watson said they plan to discuss hate crimes and hate actions, specifically on the UI campus and in the community, but also will touch on the issue nationally.
“The last couple of weeks we had the sign that said ‘It’s okay to be white’ here on campus, as well as other events that have happened nationally, like the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, and we want to talk about that,” Watson said.
Watson said at the event they will have panelists available to answer students’ questions, but since the event is discussion based, they will have students break off into smaller groups to discuss the topic at greater length. Watson said panelists will include experts and those who study hate crimes and civil rights issues.
The Campus Conversations event will take place 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6 in the Idaho Commons Whitewater Room.
Cody Allred can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CodyLAllred