This February, UNC students will have a new safe space on campus.
Thursday evening marked the first event of the #UNCRealTalks series, with participants starting the session by engaging with someone new and immediately opening up about times when they felt either included or excluded.
The series is hosted by Carolina United, a five-day program held in the summer before the first week of classes. The #UNCRealTalks series will be in various locations around campus each Thursday during the month of February.
Participants reflected on their own past and personal experiences with racial and gender insecurities in a safe zone created by hosts Christina Townsend and Dwight Payne.
Junior Jake Middlebrooks said he attended because he was invited by a friend, but he was interested in the knowledge he might gain from the experience.
“I want to learn about different perspectives on racial issues and listen to other people with different key points in mind," he said.
Townsend and Payne, both juniors, said they have been involved with Carolina United since they first participated in the summer of 2013.
“When we planned this, I personally wasn’t looking for a particular reaction (from the participants),” Payne said. “The idea is that we get to a place where everyone feels comfortable sharing things they wouldn’t otherwise.”
Sophomore Jacqueline Ceron said she hopes events like these will spread to other corners of UNC.
