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Cultural Center urges students to walk through the tunnel
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The Student Union Building will be the site of a new exhibit later this week. However, it won’t be any ordinary, walk-through display. Instead, guides will lead people through a tunnel.
On Friday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 11, the Boise State University Cultural Center will host the “Tunnel of Oppression” in the Student Union Hatch Ballroom. The free event will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The Cultural Center co-sponsors the event with the Martin Luther King Jr./Human Rights Celebration Committee and Gender Studies Program at BSU. This is the exhibit’s second year at the BSU campus.
Cultural Center Coordinator Ro Parker described the “Tunnel of Oppression” as “an interactive exhibit” modeled after the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. It first appeared at Western Illinois University in the 1990s and later spread to other campuses.
The exhibit’s purpose is to raise public awareness about different types of oppression in society.
“We really want to showcase how helpless people feel when they are oppressed,” Parker said, “We want participants to know what it feels like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.”
Parker said that five themes are picked for the exhibit each year. Students select the themes while faculty help develop them for the exhibit. This year, the “Tunnel of Oppression” will highlight domestic violence, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, civil rights and disabilities.
The Cultural Center’s Website said these themes will be presented to participants through guided tours. Parker also said an art gallery called “Faces of Oppression” and a social justice fair will be open to attendees. The social justice fair will inform attendees how they can get involved and fight oppression.
Furthermore, Parker explained that counselors will be available to speak with participants about the exhibit’s subject matter. She said it will help participants cope with and acquire a better understanding of the injustices shown.
“I think we get desensitized to these issues,” Parker said. She also said sometimes people don’t realize the severity of different forms of injustice unless they feel like they are in those situations.
Parker encourages people interested in viewing the “Tunnel of Oppression” to register for a tour in advance. The Cultural Center’s Website offers a registration form at
http://culturalcenter.boisestate.edu/tunnel.
Parker also said participants should arrive 15 minutes before their tour to read and sign a consent form.
For more information on the “Tunnel of Oppression,” check out the Cultural Center’s Website: http://culturalcenter.boisestate.edu, or contact the Cultural Center at 426-5950.
Francy Marcotte
