Final Documentary

Making my final documentary was quite difficult at times because there were so many things that I wanted to say but couldn’t or else it would have been too long. That being said, it was difficult choosing between which ideas/details I wanted to  include because there are just so many things to be said about my topic. 

Ultimately, though, I decided to focus on diversity at Muhlenberg, or lack thereof/its progress and how because of that, the affinity groups on campus play such important roles to so many students on campus. As I continuously mention in my documentary, affinity groups truly are some of the only places where students of marginalized communities may feel safe and I don’t think the general community realizes that. That’s why I emphasize it so much in my documentary. I don’t think it’s fair for students to have to feel like this— everyone deserves to feel comfortable everywhere, but obviously that’s not the case. So, I wanted to give the affinity organizations a voice or another platform. 

Furthermore, from the start I knew I wanted to interview people as I felt like that would really put things into perspective. I didn’t just want to speak for the affinity groups— I wanted to give them the opportunity to speak for themselves and be able to express how they feel about the issue. That’s why I appreciate my friend, Angel, taking the time to speak with me about his experiences/thoughts from being a member of Comunidad and other affinity groups as well. I also interviewed Robin Riley-Casey and asked her about her position as the director of Office of Multicultural Life and what her experience here at Berg has been like. As I interviewed the both of them, I allowed them to lead the conversation so that they were able to share as much or as little as they wanted. This can be a pretty sensitive topic for some people, so I did not want to be overbearing or cross any boundaries. 

Overall, while diversity is talked about a lot on campus there is still so much more that can be done. That being said, I feel like even just small things like making a three minute documentary can do so much. As someone who is a member of multiple affinity groups myself, I hope others can reflect on my documentary and think about those who they may affect.