Campus Life, Events, Features, Student Lifestyle

Campus Group Allows CMU Students To Experience Oppression Firsthand

Participants watch as a scenario about racial profiling in markets start to unfold.

A Mile in Our Shoes  is a new registered student organization on campus that aims to educate the campus about oppression, discrimination and other subjects people may not be comfortable talking about.

AMOS Vice President – Caitlin Crutcher

Caitlin Crutcher, from Farmington, is the vice president of AMOS. She said the RSO was formed last April, and hopes the organization will be a place of support for students who may experience or have experienced these situations.

“Our goal is to be proactive,” Crutcher said. “So that [when] any type of racial discrimination happens on our campus, we’ll be in the forefront to say, ‘Hey this is not OK, and we’ll stand behind you’ in the process.”

AMOS chose to exhibit the Tunnel of Oppression as an Martin Luther King, Jr.  week activity after exploring events other universities did when it came to being an advocate RSO. Crutcher said the event is what stuck out to AMOS the most.

“[The Tunnel of Oppression] is an immersive experience where students get a real life,” she said. ” It’s an in-your-face experience of what it’s like to be a minority in America.”

One of the rooms even had a member of AMOS come to the scenario and re-enact racial profiling and police brutality.

AMOS Member Antonio Gutierrez (Chicago, IL) acts out a police brutality scene amidst the participants during their first room of the event.

Crutcher said AMOS is planning to have more events, similar to this, during the semester.

“A micro-aggression walk is something we want to do this semester, as well as a woman’s leader’s panel to bring feminism up,” she said. “We’ll also bring, ‘Take A Step’ back as well.”

While AMOS currently does not have a meeting room, the RSO meets every other Thursday and will have their locations listed in their social media.

Facebooktwitterpinterest