safe space (n.)
1. an academic setting that encourages active engagement, innovative thinking, and analysis
2. a community in which people, usually of marginalized groups, are able to secure respect
under the aegis of college campuses.
Ex: a breastfeeding room for new mothers
Nowadays, the second definition is strikingly more contentious. Those against safe spaces claim that such environments coddle students, infantilizing them in the face of the “real world.” However, denying marginalized communities, such as BIPOC and members of the LGBTQ+ community, safe spaces highlights everything wrong with this “real world.” It perpetuates the idea that the microaggressions against them are expected and organic. Coates says it best in his book Between The World And Me: discrimination “is rendered as the innocent daughter of Mother Nature,” invoking that it is the repetition of such comments that reinforce their normality.
This is why safe spaces are essential on college campuses.
If campuses do not standardize environments of inclusivity and emotional security, the current “real world” will continue running rampant, and this rampancy, which manifests itself through police brutality and systemic discrimination, can take severe psychological tolls. According to the Healthline article “Why ‘Safe Spaces’ Are Important for Mental Health — Especially on College Campuses,” Dr. Juli Fraga notes that “approximately one in three college freshmen have a mental health issue.” Even in this situation, minorities are underrepresented. The National Survey of American Life found that 9.1% of African Americans display signs of PTSD, versus the 6.8% of non-Hispanic white people, and 55% of LGBTQ+ youth feel unsafe at school due to sexual orientation. The suicide death in Native/Indigenous youth is more than twice that of non-Hispanic white people.
A central tenet of public health is to ensure that public health services are available to all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Safe spaces are a central tool to begin bridging this health equity gap. And in some ways, instituting the second definition encourages the nascency of the former. Acknowledging the experiences of marginalized communities concomitantly encourages civic engagement, empathy, and analytical thinking. Perhaps safe spaces are the key to erasing the real world and revolutionizing a new one.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/safe-spaces-college#6
https://www.mhanational.org/issues/native-and-indigenous-communities-and-mental-health
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/gay#statistics