When I first came to visit JBU I didn’t notice that there was a lack of diversity. I just so happened to see quite a few students of color. But once I got here I noticed that there really aren’t as many as I thought. JBU does try to include diversity throughout the campus by bringing awareness to the majority through international week, but I think that it would be a lot more impactful if instead of just having one week full of great things, they could have that and spread it out throughout the school year. I’ve also noticed that quite a few people only talk to or hang out with those that look like them instead of venturing out and talking to someone from a different country. Try to talk to someone that is not from your country and talk about your experiences there and where you are now. I bet it would be a great conversation and very eye opening to differences.
JBU’s main word is “community,” and I think that being a part of that community means that it’s extremely important that we love everyone, even those that don’t look like us. The verse that comes to my mind is Galatians 3:28-29, and it says, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” It’s crucial that we not only have fellowship with those like us but with others as well.
We are meant to work together as Christ’s body because God has called us to unity (read Ephesians). If we are really going to uphold the commitment of the JBU community, we really need to start celebrating not just our race, but others as well. We may have different views, but it really matters that we respect one another as bearers of the image of God.
It would be really great if JBU could start reaching out to urban schools and more minorities to show respect to cultures and bring a higher level of diversity to campus. It would be fantastic if we could have not just a diverse student body, but faculty and staff. If JBU really wants to be a campus that has a diverse community, I think that it’s important that we continue to care and love each other regardless of our ethnicity, as well as not just only paying attention to those we look like.
We have this really cool organization on campus called MOSAIC that specializes in community and diversity on campus. We care a ton about celebrating everyone’s culture and bringing better community to JBU. We love to have new faces added to our every other Thursday meetings. So if you would like to come and be a part of something great and help bring awareness to the student body, you should come, and like us on Facebook to stay updated with our events.