Community forum to discuss microaggressions

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- 

The Black Student Union at Indiana University South Bend will host a follow-up forum Friday. This comes about six months after a fighting racism forum the group hosted. 

E-Lexus Thornton is the president of the Black Student Union. He says September's forum was a huge success, with people signing up for organizations to work towards finding solutions to the issues discussed. 

This forum will branch off from the last. 

"At first I just wanted to do this as a sequel. I wanted everybody to come together to see what came of the first one. Did people actually get into the community? Did people actually feel like they were able to help in a satisfactory way?" said Thornton. "But as time moved forward, I wanted to help people understand the history as well."

Thornton says a panel moderated by Common Councilwoman Regina will focus on microaggressions, how they infiltrate society and what community members can do to better understand them. 

"Why do we live in ghettos? Why is there a system put in place where people receive lower pay than other people even though they’re working the same job? Why is it that these stereotypes, these myths, exist?” said Thornton. 

Those are just some of the questions this forum will tackle. 

Thornton hopes the discussion will bring about knowledge which will lead to change. 

“This new knowledge gives people power to change their situation. Not just their situation, the situations of many others," said Thornton. "It might not happen this month, it might not happen this year, but the seed is planted. I know my history now and there’s things I might be able to do.”

The forum is free and open to the public. It starts at 6 p.m. More information can be found on the Facebook event page here.