Sophomore Brittany Kemper (left) and senior Bryan Shnider (right) play “The Game of Oppression” during the Tunnel of Oppression event held in the former Beta Theta Pi house yesterday evening. (Stuart Palley)
“The Tunnel of Oppression,” an exhibition presented by The Diversity Action Team (DAT), encourages awareness of inequality and the damaging effects of discrimination. The six student members of DAT have been working since June, preparing artwork, memorizing skits and publicizing the event.
The exhibit begins with a skit focusing on racism and the misunderstanding of sexual preference. Moving deeper into the “tunnel” are rooms filled with books on racism, anti-semitism, discrimination and religious persecution, as well as stories from victims of oppression.
The entire first floor of the former Beta house has been converted to an eye-opening encounter of inequality. Even the bathroom, piled high with fitness and fashion magazines, points out the pressure to look good in today’s society.
Another room, turned into a theater with two televisions and a slide show, brings the problems of rape and stereotyping to life. There is also a room that has been turned into a jail cell with a prisoner inside. The purpose of this part of the exhibit is to show that not every country allows freedom of expression. In fact, two men in Indonesia were imprisoned simply for raising a flag.
The last of the 10 rooms holds “The Wall of Prejudice,” where viewers are encouraged to write down the first words that come to their minds about different issues and stereotypes.
At the end of the exhibit each viewer is offered resources for both SMU and global social justice work. A flashlight is also given to represent the light at the end of the tunnel.
First-year Eric Park plans to attend the exhibition.
“I think it would be an excellent opportunity to step back from the petty concerns the media clobbers us with in order to concentrate on real world problems such as the crisis in Darfur and the discrimination involved with ‘Jena 6’,” Park said.
Each year, Student Activities & Multicultural Student Affairs (SAMSA) and Residence Life & Student Housing (RLSH) collaborate to put on two exhibitions, one in the spring and one in the fall.
“The goal of this exhibit is to create a somber atmosphere where the seriousness of the issues can be seen,” Chair of DAT, Alli Martin Scoufield said. “It is important to notice how real things like torture and eating disorders are; people should be upset.”
The exhibit runs on Sept. 18 and 19 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the former Beta house at 3058 SMU Boulevard.
