Community Corner

Professor Challenges Community to Increase Understanding

Students at Black Student Union hosted event celebrating life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Pernell Witherspoon, an assistant professor at , challenged students and teachers to get to know people different from themselves in an effort to end segregation in his closing remarks during a celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Black Student Union hosted the event Jan. 17 that included speeches, musical and dance performances, and a keynote address from Angela da Silva, instructor of American Studies at Lindenwood. 

Witherspoon, who is one of the faculty sponsors of the Black Student Union, closed the ceremony by asking everyone to step outside of their comfort zone and get to know others that are different from themselves. 

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"We're more comfortable around people who are like ourselves," he said, adding that he often notices professors squeezing up to 16 people in a tiny table at lunch rather than sit with students for lunch. "Think about where you stand when it comes to day's modern racism. Many of us judge when we fail to understand other cultures and yes, we do judge each other." 

Witherspoon said with some effort to get to know others, perhaps the St. Louis area would one day be known as well-integrated rather than very segregated. 

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