A wall stood on the STEPS lawn from March 28 through March 30, the word “hate” emblazoned across it. Around the bold red letters, Lehigh students, faculty and staff wrote examples of hateful language or actions they’ve experienced on campus.

On March 30, members of the Lehigh community tore down the wall of hate. A wall of healing then took its place, serving as a place for community members to share their hopes for Lehigh.

The walls were part of the Global Citizenship capstone project of Sydney Bagley ’16, Brishty Khossein ’16, Amie Diamond ’16 and Sasha Papova ’16, who intended to engage the campus community in critical conversations about social issues. “Without Walls: Enriching Differences at Lehigh” provided an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to share both positive and negative experiences they’ve had at Lehigh. Facilitated discussions followed.

“A lot of people were shocked at how many people had something to say,” said Khossein.

“Our goal with this project was to create a social change on campus, really just take the steps to get people to talk and have some conversations,” said Bagley.

The Global Citizenship program is a cross-college, multidisciplinary certificate program offering courses and experiences that allow students to examine the theme of citizenship in our global world. Learn more about the program here.
 

Video by Stephanie Veto

Photos by Christa Neu and Stephanie Veto