The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) celebrates their 30 year dedication on Wednesday, Sept. 19 by focusing their most recent Conversation of Color on underrepresented populations, and with the General Elections drawing near, voting and the importance behind youth participation in the election process was a main topic.   

Conversations of Color are dialogues hosted monthly by the OMA from noon to 1 p.m. in the Office of Multicultural Affairs lobby, located at 1240 Kirkhof Center. Topics revolve around current events or social justice issues, and this has become a space for students to find clarity on complex issues happening in our world today. Past discussions have included Islamophobia, DACA, the Charlottesville incident and kneeling during the national anthem. 

Britney Underwood currently serves as the graduate assistant of the OMA and is a facilitator of the Conversations of Color. As facilitator, Underwood efforts are illustrated in two ways: Underwood will give a presentation on a specific topic, followed by a discussion with questions from the audience, or she will help facilitate a panel composed of four to five people. 

“We watch the news and look for current events and trends on social media,” Underwood said. “Sometimes, we also receive suggestions from students or staff, and then the ambassadors and I will vote on what topic we should do. The goal is ultimately to bring awareness to sensitive topics that are hard to talk about.”

The idea for holding Conversations of Color originated in 2015 when people began to realize there wasn’t a space on campus to have conversations on current events. Students were looking for an open and honest place to discuss the complexities of the society that we know to be today. 

“We wanted to make an inclusive space to talk about social issues and current events… and let underrepresented populations have a safe place to voice their opinion,” Underwood said.

According to Underwood, usually between 20 to 40 audience members attend the Conversations of Color. Although this number has risen from last year’s series, they prefer to keep the group smaller so the conversation can be held within a more intimate and trusting group. Keeping this space honest is the foundation of these conversations. 

“Audience participation is usually pretty good and sometimes we even try to bring in an expert on the topic to help answer questions,” Underwood said.

She hopes that Grand Valley students who attend the dialogues gain some new knowledge and learn ways to engage in conversation with people who may have different opinions.

The next Conversation of Color is scheduled to take place on Oct. 24, 2018.