“Safe on Campus” video story transcript
Eileen LeValley: What is diversity and inclusion to you and what do they mean to you?
Jada Martin: I feel like diversity is a very broad term; diversity could be used for race, gender, and sexuality. I feel like all those components contribute to more diversity, and I think diversity to me is basically all of those components together. So not having a school with just Caucasians, but a school with Caucasians, African Americans, Asians, Hispanics or LGBT [people], men and women, all in the same place.
EL: Where do you feel comfortable and/or safe in expressing your identity on campus? Where do you feel that you belong on campus?
JD: Well, I felt very safe on campus, I think this campus is the safest, you know campus in the nation I think?! I feel like this school has very good security, so I don’t feel like I am going to get harmed or anything. Uhm, I feel like as an African American and being [around] mostly Caucasians that… I wouldn’t say that I don’t fit in, but I definitely stand out.
EL: If you could change or improve one thing about the world, what would it be?
JD: I would change like racism, and sexism, homophobia, and basically the evil aspects of judging and discriminating against others.
EL: Maybe you could describe an encounter with someone from a different culture or background or orientation that has positively influenced you weather being at OU or the outside world?
JD: Well, I could say my professor, she’s from China, I think she’s very intelligent and she’s a very good professor, and just her being from another country, I look at that, it’s kind of cool, because she has a different culture than we do here.
EL: Is there anything else that you would like to add about your life on campus at OU?
JD: I really like my life here on campus. I can definitely say that, when I was in the nursing program, when we had a nursing floor, that it was only me and one African American on the floor and the rest was Caucasians. So that contributes to the diversity here on campus, but also the dorms as well. But I definitely love the students here, and I have a lot of friends and I live on campus.
EL: Thank you, Jada. I appreciate you doing this interview and good luck with your future.
JD: Thank you. Thank your for interviewing me.
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