Pick This or That
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Detroit Senior Hassan Marong was giving a tour with Campus Ambassadors like he had done time after time. His feelings toward the program, however, changed in an instant.
Campus Ambassadors is a volunteer program that allows students to share “Chippewa pride” and personal experiences with prospective CMU students and their families through weekly tours.
Marong had spent the week prior anticipating this particular tour because the families attending that day were from Ford High School, a school from his hometown.
“I was given my tour of CMU as a senior in high school, and it was great,” said Marong. “I chose CMU because a person of color gave my tour. I could come to this school and see myself.”
Marong decided to become a campus ambassador in Spring 2019. The fall semester of 2019 was a rather hectic time for Hassan. In addition to being a trainee for Campus Ambassadors, he was also on the homecoming committee, a leader for Leadership Institute, an inclusion assistant and on the dean’s list.
It was a Wednesday afternoon and Marong arrived early to the Bovee Center Auditorium to be sure to make the lineup with his other peers a part of the ambassador program.
As Hassan lined up with guides, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Kevin Williams went up to Hassan and motioned for him to take the pick out of his hair.
Williams then gave Marong an ultimatum — either take the pick out of his hair or not give the tour that day. At that time, Marong had given at least four tours with the pick adorned in his hair without any backlash from coordinators.
All built-up excitement and momentum had withered away through the exchange with Williams, Morang said. He was embarrassed.
A few hours after the initial incident, Williams requested to see Morang in his office. He immediately broke down into tears in front of Williams who did not apologize. Instead, Morang was lectured and told the inanimate object did not define his “blackness.”
“I have a fro, and the pick is something that represents my blackness, It is how I celebrate it on campus, “ Morang said. “I found it of utmost importance to wear my pick and be the most authentic I could while also being a Campus Ambassador.”
Almost immediately after the incident transpired, a new policy was set into effect that hair accessories were not allowed with the exception of CMU-related, cold weather gear or religious purposes according to the manual for Fall 2020.
Morang felt the addition was a blatant slap in the face. He said the new policy felt discriminatory.
Once the dust settled from the situation, Morang said he struggled with whether the incident was worth reporting.
Williams was reached out to for comment, but has yet to reply.
What encouraged him to come out and speak about this personal incident is the time and realization that this incident was not small, and to ensure that another student does not have to feel like this again. Hassan has ultimately made peace with Williams, and the situation, not for anyone else’s sake but his own.
It is instances just like these, that can be easily swept under the rug and forgotten in the everyday struggle of dealing with microaggressions. It is crucial to shed light on these instances and make the voices of those who feel silenced heard.
