"Black and..." Brown Lunch Bag a Discussion About Race and Sexuality with Symone Simmons

The second installment of the "black and…" brown lunch bag series featured Symone Simmons talking about being black and LGBTQ, on Tuesday Oct. 25. The discussion centered on the multiple identities with which people associate. The series are interactive discussions offered by the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs and it is aimed to explode the diversity within the Black community.

Simmons started her presentation by addressing her audience and asked why they were there and what they were hoping to get out her presentation and writing the answers on a board.  She then went on to present a model of multiple forms of identity. Simmons also talked about identity and how identity development can be affected by the different factors. The discussion focused on giving the attendees the foundations to help a student with a marginalized identity or identities. The main points were understanding that everyone has multiple identities, becoming aware that one can be a body of knowledge to support another person with a marginalized identity and even though not one single person can have all the resources available, they should be able to identify the correct resources to gain more information.

Simmons talked about the external influences on identity and identity development such as family, religion, environment, and age. She used herself as an example when speaking of the influence her family and the media had on her identity. The opinions and prejudices a family member may have against a group of people affects how a person sees that group, especially if they identify with that group, in Simmons' case that was the gay community. Simmons also spoke of the role society has in how a person identifies themselves, especially the media. When growing up Simmons did not know that black LGBTQ people existed because she did not see them on television.

            In order to further help reinforce her points, Simmons broke the audience into small groups to discuss what resources are available for LGBTQ students on campus and the community. The small group discussions then turned into a brainstorming session where everyone participated by giving resources that Simmons wrote down for everyone to see.

Simmons' interactive discussion allowed the participants to learn and share information to help those with limited resources, especially within the LGBTQ community. The forum was educational and only one of several experiences that the "Black and…" Brown Bag Series can provide.  Students can contact the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs for upcoming events at 773-442-5445.