Early education, family, and
prominent community leaders are major influences on a child as they are growing
up and begin forming opinions on controversial topics. Once a person reaches
higher education (if they do reach it) they have breathing room and more
freedom to explore their opinions that were heavily influenced. Some change
their opinions while others keep them relatively the same. However, the
university or college they attend still has an influence on their opinions,
whether they know it or not.
Gibson Stroupe was a graduate of
Southwester Presbyterian University before it became Rhodes College. Prior to
leaving his home, he “believed that white people were superior and that black
people would never be our peers or equals.” [1]
One of his English teachers advised him to read Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton and this helped change his
perspective. Just being around black students influenced his opinions so much
that he led a demonstration that ended up closing down a restaurant. He was a
senior during the Memphis workers strike and participated in that as well. In
his case, the college influenced him positively.
The college could also influence
students in a negative way. These days, Rhodes College is doing just that
through their faculty and staff. Most of the administration and professors are
white, while most of the refectory and Lynx Lair workers along with the
caretakers of Rhodes’ landscaping and the housekeeping staff are people of
color. This is a subliminal message to students as they go through their day-to-day
lives on campus. This implies that the “fancier” jobs are meant for white
people and all the other jobs are meant for people of color; or at least, it
puts these thoughts into students’ minds, even though it’s not explicitly
advertised.
This could possibly lead to
intrinsically reinforcing certain negative stereotypes that people come to
college with. However, my peers and classes like this one have influenced me
for the better. Specifically, I do not hold Martin Luther King Jr. in as high
of regard as I used to. I have learned things that tore down misconceptions
regarding his leadership and influence while learning information that lowers
him to the “common man’s” level. After learning about his downfalls, I began to
dislike MLK, but it was because of the way he was put on a pedestal and praised
that his downfalls seemed so much worse than a regular person’s. Rhodes has
helped me change my view of MLK just as it helped Gibson Stroupe change his
view on other races: for the better. Though Rhodes has a tendency to enforce
certain stereotypes, it also helps build up better opinions.
[1] Conor Friedersdorf, “Doubting MLK During
a Strike in Memphis.” The Atlantic,
January 13, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/doubting-mlk-during-a-strike-in-memphis/550118/
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