As a Michigan State House of Representatives candidate for District 58, which includes Hillsdale County, I have invested some time learning about Hillsdale College, particularly its relationship to the greater Hillsdale community. Having grown up near Ann Arbor, I understand the complexities of this dynamic – the benefits and drawbacks for communities that host prominent institutions of higher learning. I also understand the tough academic requirements students face, and I can only imagine those are heightened this year with the current pandemic.
Yet, I make the following appeal to all the young people studying so hard to prepare themselves for a life after college. Many of you will most likely end up in urban areas where your current political leanings and constitutional knowledge may not be as understood nor appreciated as they are now. You will be working with colleagues from diverse backgrounds. You will be faced with adversity.
If you are in a position of not having to work your way through school to pay for tuition, then take that extra time to get involved with the local community of Hillsdale. Several forums on Facebook have been created in the last year to help people stay connected during COVID-19. Joining one will broaden your understanding of Hillsdale’s older demographic. There are also an abundance of nonprofits in Hillsdale County which are always seeking volunteers. It is likely there is at least one that’s compatible with a personal passion you may have. But don’t be scared to volunteer somewhere that is out of your comfort zone.
Become familiar with the extraordinary benefits of small-town life, but also be aware of the realities that exist just outside the campus perimeter. According to the U.S. Census, 14% of the county lives in poverty. According to the Michigan League for Public Policy, an estimated 30% of children live in poverty in rural areas of the state, 11% of people under the age of 65 are legally disabled, 20% have no home computers, 30% do not have access to the internet, 8% have no health insurance, and the median per capita income is under $25,000 annually.
If your circle of friends look and think like you, then take these years at Hillsdale College to expand your base of friends. What Hillsdale College lacks in racial diversity, it makes up for in geographic variety. Take advantage of this to understand how cultural differences impact people — and embrace those differences.
Speaking of geography, if you are not a native of the state, I recommend you explore Michigan. It is a beautiful state with a unique heritage. (As a museum professional, take my advice and see why I rank the Motown Museum first in the state for visitor engagement.)
Hillsdale College has very high standards for academic achievement with most students having been at the top of their classes in high school. Your brain is likely structured to retain information and to recall it in ways that are highly sought after within the education realm. I fall into this category myself, but most of my best friends, co-workers, and my own husband, do not. I have found that by examining those differences in how people are wired, I have changed my own views on a lot of important issues. Get curious about neurodiversity.
I recently read an article written this past summer by John Daniel Davidson titled, “No, Hillsdale College Doesn’t Need to Join the National Reckoning on Race.” Danielson asks, “What should the college actually do? Acquiesce to the specious notion of systemic racism? Then what? If the college tried to address its own supposed systemic racism, how would we know when it was fixed, and who would decide?”
The first step in dismantling systemic racism is acknowledging that it is real. Government policies are not hard to access, and the thousands of local, state, and federal policies aimed at taking power from people of color, immigrants, and Native Americans are easily exposed if one bothers to look. Don’t be ignorant in these parts of our shared history. If people of color are not part of your circle, then again, I encourage you to change that.
As a first step, consider participating in the Annual Summit on Racism, which is a virtual event this year hosted by the Kalamazoo Society for History and Equity at SHAREkazoo.org. I have been working hard as a volunteer on the planning committee this summer and the content and speakers this year are exceptional. I genuinely hope to see some of you at one of the many sessions offered November 10-14.
I’ll close by reminding readers that there were many periods of time throughout history where changes in technology, political ideas, culture, and language occurred so slowly that the concept of history did not exist. People did not contemplate how different the future would be because they had not experienced significant change themselves, nor had their ancestors’ lives been much different than their own. We are now living in a time when change is happening at rates we sometimes cannot even comprehend. Good or bad, these years you spend at Hillsdale College will be special in your life, and unlike any of the experiences of those before or after you.
Tamara Barnes is the Democratic candidate for District 58 in the Michigan State House of Representatives.
