Members from the African American Student Council hosted events to advocate for women of different cultures to stick to their roots rather than leaving them behind in order to fit into the culture in the Delta. Many Arabic women on campus stopped wearing their headscarves and hijabs completely due to derogatory comments made to them while on campus by other students. Whether intentional or unintentional, the students from Delta State have been known to misunderstand certain aspects of other cultures and say or do things to offend other members of their student body just because they appear to be different. Students need to be made aware of cultural differences represented on campus.

Many students may think that because these students have left their countries to come to school at Delta State, they will leave the parts of their culture that they carry with them, too. Because of course, they live in the Delta now, right? But in fact, this is not true. These students bring diversity to the campus and must therefore be supported to preserve their culture at Delta State.

According to Kia Barber, a member of the AASC and organizer of Wrap It Up, women who wear headdresses as well as women who wear their hair natural should be encouraged because they are preserving their roots and culture. What students may assume or learn about women that wear a headdress, headscarf, or hijab from another culture can be interpreted in a completely different perspective than its actual purpose and therefore misunderstood. The gap between this misunderstanding and understanding can be filled with communication and advocating for human rights.

These problems do not only need to be talked about, but actually countered by putting into action events that will help make students aware of these problems and giving them a way to effectively talk about them and how to address them. Students do not only need to be told that it is okay to wear their hair natural or in a headdress, but also encouraged and supported by campus-wide action. Wrap It Up is just one event that was hosted by the AASC in order to not only communicate these problems on campus, but also go further in taking the first step towards a solution to these problems.

“Just talking about it isn’t okay…” reported Barber. We must take action to work to be inclusive to people of all cultures here at Delta State. We need not only give students a voice to talk through these things, but a way to put into action the solutions to this problem so they can apply it to their lives while at Delta State and also in the future.