This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northwestern chapter.
This Sunday, ‘The Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah came to Northwestern University’s Evanston campus to speak about race, inequality and identity. He spent an hour discussing many important questions ranging from his thoughts on African Americans when he first came to the US to the importance of engaging in dialog on campuses across the country. Trevor Noah was part of a new initiative through The New York Times where the media company brings influential speakers to college campuses across the country to discuss controversial and important topics. Here are three important life lessons that Trevor Noah highlighted in his talk.
- Promote Dialog: Trevor Noah emphasized the importance of having the discussion about hard topics. Shying away from controversial and difficult subject matter is not the correct way to deal with them. He especially addressed the topic of racial prejudice and inequality. As a member of a non-marginalized group, it is your responsibility to engage in dialog and constantly try and pick away at prejudices and stereotypes. Although it may be uncomfortable and awkward at first, engaging in these conversations is the best way to get a free dialog going and understand how to best help end prejudices and inequality.
- Expose the Tension: Noah said that although he would not consider the current presidency “good,” he thinks that good can come from it. Exposing the tensions between inequality and prejudice is a step in the right direction. He stated that now is one of the best times for inequality because people are starting to open up their eyes and see it for what it truly is. Work with this. Expose the tensions of inequality, open the eyes of the people around you and make them uncomfortable. Seeing the extreme prejudice in the country is the first step to fixing it. Acknowledge that something is wrong and we need to pick away at it until it is fully exposed.
- Write On: For journalists especially, Noah said that now is the time more than ever to fight for your right to write. He stated, “There is real; there are facts. If you’re getting into the field of journalism, just believe in that.” In a time when our country is obsessed with “fake news”, Noah says that now is when we need journalists to convince people that facts are out there. Without journalists, we would be fully uninformed. Believe in the facts and believe in the need to seek them out and rely on them.