Last Wednesday, the Office of the Provost sent an email urging students to attend a series of events called “Ignite the Dream,” an initiative that aims to facilitate a conversation about race, equality and systems of oppression — an especially pertinent set of issues since the coverage of Michael Brown’s death and its aftermath.

While the university receives a large amount of criticism for its inability to attract a large body of diverse students — which remains a very serious issue — reminding students to attend events like Ignite the Dream is an important step toward amplifying the race dialogue on campus.

Two months after widespread discussion over a possible racial diversity requirement course, students have continually called upon the university to address concerns about a lack of conversation surrounding the topic.

Ignite the Dream, and a new course titled “Black Death: From Slavery to Michael Brown,” taught by sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson, indicate a growing commitment on the administration’s part to focusing on events of this nature.

Ignite the Dream’s Facebook page points out the dearth of discourse and understanding about challenges different races face and hopes to educate and create a welcoming platform for individuals unfamiliar with the issue with a series of speakers, discussion events and campaigns.
It is reassuring to see that Georgetown, in highlighting this student-driven campaign, has exhibited the beginnings of a commitment to open dialogue about race and the spreading of greater understanding among the community at large.

Therefore, it would greatly benefit students to participate in Ignite the Dream’s various events in order to propel this dialogue forward.
Looking ahead to next semester, we advise the university to further develop the opportunities for such dialogues by pursuing more such programs like Ignite the Dream.

While this effort provides tangible evidence of the university starting to address this prominent problem on campus, expansion is necessary to aggressively combat Georgetown’s image and identity, which, even now, remains marred by incidents of race inequality.