Faces of Michigan
Name: Kevin Johnson
Year: Class of 2008
Major: Neuroscience/Psychology
Home: Michigan
How I first became interested in diversity and social Justice at U-M?
My first interests in diversity and social justice came from various experiences, which stem from growing up in a diverse community. As a half-black person who identifies with the LGBT community, I’ve always been exposed to issues of miscommunication, discrimination, and conflict. At the University of Michigan, I was first introduced to the idea of social justice in my residence hall. While walking down one of the corridors during my first semester at Michigan, I saw an LGBT ally sign on the door of one of my resident advisors. Her statement of support for a community to which she didn’t belong intrigued me and introduced me to the ideas of social justice.
Classes that sparked my interest in social justice issues and the law:
In the second semester of my freshman year, my introductory psychology class provided a more personal encounter with social justice. While discussing social psychology theories, my professor, Marita Inglehart, introduced the idea of the “minority scare,” in which the stress of many minority students cause noticeably lower scores on exams. Psychologists attribute this stress to the pressure of breaking stereotypes in a white-run and male-dominated society. Many minority students worry that their peers would perceive them as incompetent, like the rest of their ethnic or gender group. Upon hearing the theory, many students in the class perceived the concept new, interesting and unbelievable. However, I realized this “hypothetical” concept, which results from a lack of social justice, happens to me every day in class, especially my pre-med science classes. Usually the only student of African descent, the pressure to perform well builds within like that of a dropped soda-pop can. Learning this personal and long-term effect of discrimination and racism added fuel to my growing, burning passion for social justice and diversity. Hence, throughout my college career, I did many things that reflected my commitment to social justice.
Activities:
During my freshman year (2004-2005) I got involved in the Speaker’s Bureau through the LGBT office, which educates people about LGBT issues. Also, through the Health Sciences Scholars Program, I started a program, to collect money for the victims of the Tsunami.
During my sophomore year (2005-2006), I became a peer advisor for the Health Sciences Scholars Program. While in that position, I helped run a drive with HSSP to sponsor presents for a poor family. I also did an Alternative Spring Break in Chicago, where I volunteered at a home for mentally disabled individuals. In my second semester, I accepted the position of Academic Peer Advisor of Alice Lloyd for the following year. As a result, I took the RA class, Psychology 405—Social Psychology in Community Settings. This class taught me about the importance of social justice in the residence halls and about how to properly implement ideas of social justice and diversity in order to build community.
During my junior year (2006-2007), I continued my involvement with SERVE, the organization that runs the Alternative Spring Break program as a member of the ISSUES team, which educates the campus about various issues. My specific issue involved HIV/AIDS awareness. Furthermore, I also continued my involvement with the Psych 405 class by becoming a facilitator. Finally, I started volunteering in the University of Michigan hospital through my involvement with Project Community.
In my upcoming senior year, I plan on continuing my work with SERVE, and as Academic Peer Advisor. Moreover, I also plan to take part in a research project led by Intergroup Relations on the effectiveness of intergroup dialogs.
As I look back on the many opportunities I’ve had to further the cause of social justice, I realize I learned about many of them through the friends that I have made from various student groups. For example, I learned about many of the housing opportunities through the people that I met in the Health Sciences Scholars Program. I learned more about SERVE and the Speaker’s Bureau through people that I met at Festifall and other Welcome Week activities.
Hence, many students who wish to navigate their way around social justice and diversity experiences at Michigan should spend time at Festifall and/or other introductory student groups to get to know people. One should also start by getting involved in a group that strongly interests him or her and then continue building rapport with many other student leaders who can provide more support and guidance. Many students tend to discover new interests by learning about new organizations from others in their introductory groups like how I learned about Speaker’s Bureau through people that I met during welcome week. Good luck! And Go Blue!