Safe Space Discussion Isn’t Meant to be an Open Debate or Discussion at Maryland College

, Spencer Irvine, Leave a comment

At the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (known by locals as UMBC), there will be a safe spaces discussion, but it’s not about an actual open discussion:

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County is hosting a “community safe space” where the “voices and experiences of Black lives [are] to be centered in these conversations.”

A description for the event, however, notes that the “safe space” is not, in fact, “intended to be an open discussion or debate,” despite previously calling it a conversation.

“Rather, this is an opportunity to provide intentional healing and supportive space for UMBC community to process and share their thoughts, emotions, and reactions as related to racism, institutionalized violence, and anti-Blackness,” it continues, leaving questions about the difference between sharing thoughts and having a discussion unanswered.