Sachi Ajmera has been wearing a wizard costume to graduate school classes at St. John’s College in Annapolis to make a point: the school’s curriculum model of reading “foundational texts of Western civilization” followed by extensive classroom discussion, excludes and isolates some students of color.

Located in downtown Annapolis, a short walk from the Naval Academy, St. John’s has less than 500 undergraduate students and roughly 100 graduate students. The school’s Great Books curriculum includes more than 200 titles, such as Homer’s “The Odyssey” and Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels,” that are discussed in class.

Coming from Mississippi as a nonbinary person of color, Ajmera said they expected St. John’s to be a haven for progressive ideology and diversity, a place where they would finally fit in, since it’s a liberal arts school. Instead, they’ve felt isolated and struggled to have their voice heard in class discussions and beyond.

“I believe this Great Books program perfectly illustrates and explains the blatant abuse of power stemming from white supremacy that we are seeing on a national level,” Ajmera said. “I advocate because I still care, and I advocate in this way because I truly believe choosing joy in the face of a force adamant on my self-suppression is one of the most powerful ways to endure.”

According to the college’s website, each year, students read only one or two books published in the past 100 years; more than two-thirds of the authors on the book list are of European descent.

Ajmera argues the Euro-centric book list and discussion structure puts students of color at a disadvantage in those discussions, especially as minorities on campus — St. John’s student body is roughly 65% white, according to Data USA, which is roughly 24% higher than the average for college students in the United States.

In class, Ajmera said they consistently feel as though discussions are dominated by male and white students, and their criticisms of the authors are not respected by teachers.

Ajmera chose the costume because wizards are traditionally depicted as looking like the authors St. John’s students have to read: older, wise white men with gray beards. Ajmera thought they would be taken more seriously in the costume.

“My words needed to be seasoned with gray hair and a baritone to be palatable,” Ajmera said. “I wanted to display and satirize the school’s claims of ‘serious inquiry.’ If we are incapable of seeing slavery and sexism as relevant to conversations on freedom, then we do not move beyond surface-level thought.”

Kealin King, a freshman, said her first year with the curriculum has been largely positive. Still, there are changes she would like to see, such as books from other areas of the world.

“It is pretty much very European, and I do wish we read outside of that,” said King. In most of her classes, discussion is open and balanced, but a mandatory freshman class on “critical thinking,” she finds to be dominated by a handful of mostly white and male voices. “There’s definitely a large difference between the diversity and voices heard,” said King.

“Civil discourse and open dialogue are the hallmark of our academic program. Both in class and out, students are encouraged to come together to learn from each other and to discuss difficult topics,” said Danielle Lico, vice president of student affairs.

In a statement, she said the school cannot comment on specific students but spoke broadly about how it handles similar complaints.

“Specific concerns that are of an academic nature are referred to academic leadership, including the dean, associate dean or assistant dean, who will engage in a conversation with the student to better understand what is happening and the most appropriate way to address the concern,” Lico said. “Students are also encouraged to discuss any academic concerns with their [teachers] directly.”

According to Ajmera, they have been talking to the administration and their teachers but have not felt heard, so they resorted to the wizard costume.

Other students say the school is generally receptive to student feedback.

“My experience has been that there’s very open channels of communication, that when I go to campus leadership about a variety of issues, there’s almost always someone who’s willing to listen,” said El’ad Nichols-Kaufman, a senior.

Since first venturing out in the costume on March 17, Ajmera’s efforts have not always been well received.

Ajmera’s professors asked that they not “come to class with their face covered” because it was “showing disrespect to others.” Ajmera responded with a doctor’s note saying they needed sunglasses and a face mask.

Recently, Ajmera attended a brunch where school leaders were meeting, wearing their costume, playing circus music and handing out packets outlining their concerns. In a cellphone video, an administrator is seen collecting the packets as Ajmera passes them out.

At times, the response to their campaign has been frightening. Ajmera said while wearing the costume on campus, they have been heckled with threats and racial slurs. King said the school’s page on the anonymous app Yik Yak shows students mocking Ajmera and their costume.

“They don’t feel safe on campus, and I think that’s ridiculous,” said King. “That shouldn’t happen to anyone, regardless of a campaign that they’re doing or some kind of protest.”

In response to questions about the harassment, Lico said students are encouraged to report violations of college policy to the appropriate administrator. Ajmera chose not to report the recent harassment, saying they were skeptical the school would take it seriously.

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