The emotional experience of The Tunnel of Oppression

Image by Walter Rivera/FIUSM Staff

Written by Maria C. Serrano/Staff Writer

To raise awareness on societal issues, students will embark on a journey through a “Tunnel of Oppression,” an interactive exhibit hosted by the BBC Student Programming Council.

The showcase is part of the SPC’s Affair of the Arts Week where students are encouraged to experience different cultural arts from across the globe.

According to Tiffani Brown, graduate assistant at the Wolfe University Center, the exhibition challenges students to step out of their comfort zone and face the realities of oppression we are confronted with as a society.

It is a demonstrative experience where attendees walk through a simulated tunnel with booths and stations, each focusing on a different topic of oppression.

“One of the highlights and the reason of the event is that a lot of issues are not touched upon and people don’t really know the severity of. It allows them to step out of their comfort zone,” Brown said.

Kaytien Franco, student assistant at BBC Campus Life, agrees that the showcase forces students to confront societal issues such as abuse and discrimination.

“Those who partake in the tunnel will be challenged to think about contemporary issues of oppression, privilege and power,” Franco said.

She said the objective of each station is to provide information or build an experience in several ways that will stimulate attendee’s minds or even jolt their emotions.

“Oppression is having your freedom taken away, having barriers put in front of you due to stereotypes, being judged by the color of your skin or where you are from. The list goes on and on…,” Franco said.

Many times, oppression takes extreme forms even at home. According to the Washington Post, more than 1,000 women were killed by their partners in the United States in 2005.

A third of those women were killed by their boyfriend or husband.

“People don’t understand the struggle that other people have to go through,” Brown said.

Sudyen Navarrete,  a junior journalism major, said that because of her Nicaraguan roots, she has been called “peasant” and “ignorant” in several instances during high school.

“I felt oppressed during school (sic), but I got through it because I learned to ignore it,” Navarrete said.

Issues related to inequality and stereotyping will also be exposed to motivate people to take an in-depth look at them.

According to Brown, the purpose of the event is to create awareness and discussion of these issues that society faces everyday but very seldom discuss.

“Often times, people use the fact of not knowing about the issue (sic) as an excuse to ignore the problem,” Brown said.

A guest speaker will assist participants and ask questions to explore ways to address and improve upon the presented issues of oppression with a Tunnel of Hope at the end.

The event will take place Thursday, Feb. 26 at the WUC Ballrooms. The tunnel will run in increments of 15 minutes and will be ongoing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To volunteer at the exhibit or to RSVP, students and faculty can contact BBC Campus Life at (305) 919-5804.

maria.serrano@fiusm.com