As a remote worker and someone who has never set foot on my place of work, it’s easy to feel socially and professionally disconnected. One way I’ve been engaging with my new workplace (what is “place” in a world of Zoom?) is by attending extra-professional virtual sessions that pique my interests. On some days, these sessions are held for unfortunate reasons, to reflect on social issues, like the spate of violence against Asians in the US.
Last Wednesday was again one of those days, the day after the verdict of the Chauvin trial came out. I attended an after-work session that gathered faculty, student, and staff from the law and med schools. More than a hundred logged in. Law professors and doctors offered their opinion on the verdict, including ways they believe it can affect future trials and decisions. A sociologist was also present and gave insights into African-American intergenerational trauma.
There’s a collective sigh of relief when the trial wrapped up. Though the alternative scenario would have been much better – that there had been no trial, meaning no violent and racist crime were committed at all. Looking ahead, we should judge the trial’s outcome based on law enforcement reform and whether people actually stop committing related crimes.
The forum made me think about the role of higher education institutions in the public sphere. I wish they would open these kinds of forums to the broader public. Doing so can serve a form of community service, a space for teasing out the intricacies of legal and social institutions and technicalities of science, and processing the weeks-long trial, if not the year-long wait for justice and accountability. As one law professor pointed out, he and his students often feel detached from the real world even when they discuss cases that are current and consequential. Reaching out beyond the confines of the classroom, or that recurring Zoom link, can help engage and educate the broader public by discussing topics that are often uncomfortable and we typically skim over.
I look forward to participating in future sessions my university organizes, maybe not just on Zoom, and I hope for more encouraging reasons.
