Discrimination is inevitable. Despite changing times, attitudes and thoughts many experience racism daily. Even at Ottawa University interracial couples struggle with racisim.
Ashley Mundy, a senior business and accounting major, said that she has received anonymous comments on Facebook concerning her relationship with her boyfriend, sophomore Demarcus Doucette.
“I just had like a comment on Facebook that was really just kind of ridiculous,” she said.”It was in one of those honesty box things where you can’t see who it is.”
Mundy said that she had also heard people talking negatively about interracial relationships on OU’s campus.
“I don’t know if they were talking toward me or if they were just saying it in general,” she said. “But it was definitely a very rude comment toward the whole interracial relationship thing right in front of me.”
Tonya Monteer and Ronald Morton, both freshmen education majors, are another interracial couple on campus faceing these issues.
Monteer said that they don’t usually feel like their relationship is not accepted on campus, but that they do get some looks when out in public together.
“Everybody looks at us like we’re not supposed to be together, like they freak out,” said Monteer. “Older people give us dirty looks.”
Morton said that he doesn’t feel the same attitude at school. “From students, I don’t get looked at or talked about,” he said. “Or they’re too scared to talk to my face about it.”
Monteer said that while she doesn’t like the negative attention, she sometimes likes messing with people who have those racist attitudes.
“We just draw more attention to ourselves,” she said. “If people want to stare, then we’ll give them something to stare at.”
Morton said that while he doesn’t like it, he’s not going to let the negative attention bother him.
“If they’re hating on me, I don’t care,” he said.
Mundy, on the other hand, said that it bothers her a lot.
“It’s just really uncomfortable,” she said. “Especially when you really don’t know where it’s coming from.”