To celebrate Black History Month, Diversity Coordinator Brianna Walker held a discussion to continue the conversation about race relations and the Black Lives Matter movement Feb. 13. The guest panelists included Justice Gatson of the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) and Adam Arredondo of Kansas City StartUp.

Topics included code-switching, white ally-ship and education and the benefits of having communities exclusively for people of color. Parts of the discussion also tied into themes prevalent in “The Hate U Give.”

The message of the conversation was clear: it is necessary to have uncomfortable discussions about race in order to challenge the system. Gatson and Arrendondo also stressed the importance of youth ‘thoughtfully’ creating discomfort.

Gatson left the attendees with food for thought.

“People, at the heart, don’t want to change. Not from a system they benefit from,” Gatson said.