Getting Real Personal about Brave Spaces
by Anonymous
“You do not have to be fearless. Doing it afraid is just as brave” – Morgan Harper Nichols
I start with this quote to address the shifting of “safe spaces” to “brave spaces,” because I’m tired of being brave whilst feeling very anxious about it.
I think brave spaces imply that people in power aren’t obligated to deal with discrimination since it’s a choice to be “brave.” Why is bravery a requirement for marginalized folks to speak up about the injustices they face? Why is it not safe to address their concerns? The concept of “brave space” is that there is no guarantee for their safety, so we learn that there are no consequences for bigots, but consequences to being ourselves/saying our truth.
I expressed to one of my professors that I felt his class was a safe space, but it took an unexpected turn. You’d think saying someone’s class is a safe space is a compliment, but instead he replied something along the lines of: “I think brave space is more appropriate, because ultimately I can’t change someone’s opinion (bigotry).” Well, if bigots were educated and there were repercussions, they might change their mind. But also, I don’t know what I’m more disappointed with; the fact that I suddenly felt extremely unsafe or that he considered bigotry as opinions. The disappointment remains fresh even after 3 years, because it is still unsafe and bravery is now a part of romanticized suffering.
Reducing hatred to opinions is a great example of how complacency works—since “everyone is entitled to their opinion”—it causes our professors a lack of inclination to make it safe(r). Clearly, the facilitation of “brave spaces” absolve them from that responsibility. Brave space is just a euphemism for “I’m not going to do anything to change how you are treated if you potentially get hate-crimed.”
I no longer want to always mentally prepare myself for any slurs that’d be spat my way, AND witness my professors sit in self-justified defeatism. The people who need safety are the marginalized ones, and the people who need to be brave are the privileged ones.
I know the world isn’t safe, because my existence is political, which means I have to “brave” through life everyday. Hence, we need our professors to make safe spaces, for those who are as brave as lions, for those who are as courageous as a “cowardly” lion, and for those who are tired of being a lion.
Disclaimer: This is a personal interpretation of brave spaces.
Reference
Harper Nichols, M. (n.d.). You do not have to be fearless. Doing it afraid is just as brave. Pinterest. Retrieved November 30, 2023, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/48273027244406727/.
I would like to comment on the author of this powerful piece! I did not even recognize the distinction between the two kinds of spaces the author so eloquently distinguished. One small analogy that I can think of is that a student is always encouraged to be brave and raise their hand in a large classroom if they would like to ask a question to the professor. I wonder how our traditional classroom setups can be transitioned into “safer spaces.”