“My project, Know Your Impact (KYI), began with the intention of developing an empathetic understanding in the Bellarmine community through sharing our stories. In our world exists much unnecessary negativity because of one’s intent differing from their impact. For instance, a joke to one may be a scarring comment to another. As I researched this issue further, I found this especially prevalent in situations involving racism. Thus, KYI’s focus narrowed to helping educate Bells on the different racial injustices that occur in our society.
Most frequently, the experiences submitted to the forum I sent to students talked about stereotypes and the resulting microaggressions. After reading story after story, a pattern seemed to emerge. Most of these hurtful comments stemmed from a place of ignorance, which made it ever more apparent to me the importance of educating my peers. Fortunately, many of us Bells have not suffered the discrimination some of our peers have. Though, it is crucial that we have compassion towards those who are impacted by racism and strive to build each other up.
From KYI, I have gained invaluable knowledge about my peers. Their experiences and resilience inspire me to try and understand those around me, rather than to judge. I highly encourage anyone who has not read the collection of stories to do so. Not only will it help you learn more about your classmates, but you may discover new things about yourself in the process as well.
Here is the PPT:
