The opioid crisis is growing — so should our efforts to solve it

these resources readily available on campus is great, dangerous situations of drug overdoses or laced consumption are probably more likely to occur downtown than on BU’s main campus. Therefore, having resources like Narcan and fentanyl strips widely available downtown — for example, in the bathrooms of popular bars and clubs — would be an extremely useful initiative for the town to consider. It may also be useful if, for example, the University had kits readily available to fraternities and sororities or different student organizations having mixers or events downtown where drugs might be present.

In addition to having these drug safety resources widely available to BU students, it is crucial that, as an area highly impacted by the opioid epidemic, community members in Broome County also have access to these resources, perhaps through a similar framework that BU has utilized. In 2020, Broome County reported double the opioid overdose rate of the statewide average, at 35.8 overdoses per 100,000 people. In 2022 alone, 460 people in Broome County overdosed on opioids, with 80 people dying. Amazing local organizations like Truth Pharm, the Addiction Center of Broome County (ACBC) and Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP) offer a variety of resources like sterile syringes and fentanyl strips, in addition to harm reduction and drug safety training. However, as aforementioned, if the county could make resources more readily available in stores, bars or even at certain stations on the street, there is a greater chance that bystanders will be able to intervene quickly and effectively when someone is experiencing a drug overdose emergency.

Unfortunately, despite the alarmingly high overdose rate and the proven effectiveness of safer consumption sites in preventing health complications and deaths that can occur from drug use, Broome County does not have any. In August of 2022, the Village of Johnson City introduced a new law to limit where overdose prevention centers, heroin safe zones, supervised consumption facilities or supervised injection sites would even be allowed to be located. The law makes it illegal for these sites to be located within 250 feet of any residential building or 500 feet of churches, schools, parks, playgrounds or arcades. They are also completely prohibited from I-District. If safer consumption sites were to come to Johnson City, these parameters make establishing them extremely difficult.

BU’s increasing availability of Narcan kits is a monumental step forward in the destigmatization of substance abuse and has the potential to reduce harm. We hope that these resources and harm reduction training can continue to be promoted and made more widely and easily available to students, especially in more locations. Also, recognizing that Broome County, rather than just BU, is more impacted by the opioid epidemic, we hope that BU’s progress can serve as a framework or example for the county to increase access to these crucial resources by having them easily available at frequented locations.

Bias against Black Francophones must be addressed

Effort should be made to reduce ignorance about language and ethnicity

Marc Lewis Guest Columnist

While growing up in the United States, I realized that many Americans had, at best, a surface-level understanding of many ethnic groups, such as those of the Creole diaspora. Many people attempt to learn more about their neighbors, but their ignorance might inadvertently come off as offensive. We must remember that ignorance is not inherently derogatory. Ignorance is simply a lack of knowledge. However, some of our inquiries, despite their good intentions, are nevertheless laced with implicit bias. Recently, I experienced what I would call a microaggression. The Oxford Dictionary defines microaggression as “indirect, subtle or unintentional discrimination or prejudice against members of a marginalized group.” Therefore, microaggressions are typically actions or comments that often go undetected if one is not paying attention. I was with a colleague of mine who had heard that I spoke French. She then proceeded to ask me, “Do you actually speak French, like French French, or is it like Haitian … uh Haitian French … Creole or something?” Let’s consider the following:

What is “French French?”

What is “Haitian?”

What is “Haitian French?”

People associate familiar entities naturally. For example, if you see a car seat in someone’s car, you are going to assume that person has a child. In psychology, these associations combine to inform our implicit attitudes — these are ideas someone has developed, resulting from various things they have experienced or heard, of which they are not cognizant. For a lot of people, French is, quite frankly, a white thing. Therefore, a person of color who speaks French produces a sort of psychological incongruence that prompts one to scrutinize this person’s “Frenchness,” so to speak. You can argue that this is a racist thought. Perhaps, but implicit bias might be more appropriate in this case. Bias often functions as a source for prejudice and discrimination.

To further explore my colleague’s bias, we can consider “French French.” Are we implying that some French speakers also do not speak a French that is worthy of being considered “French French?” As for the second utterance regarding “Haitian” — many people think there is a language called “Haitian” — please note that is false. Haitian, by itself, denotes the nationality — Haitian Creole or Creole denotes the language. More importantly, why would a random Black guy who speaks French be presumed Haitian when most Black French speakers are African? Then, we can consider this term that I have heard many a time, “Haitian French.” This young woman, by asking me if I spoke “French or Haitian French,” tells me that she views these two entities as distinct, separate and that she may desire for them to be segregated. Yet, this is not very logical. You likely would not ask someone if they spoke

“Australian English or English.”

Because Australian English is still English. Likewise, Haitian French is still French. Moreover, French is a very standardized language — that is, French is practically the same around the world aside from accents. Therefore, “Haitian French” is largely not appropriate outside advanced linguistic studies. This is not an isolated incident. As a Black man who studied French at Binghamton University, I often encountered microaggressions. For example, one of my students once stated, “I saw a group of guys speaking French on campus, but it was African French.” She used “but” to imply — whether she realized it or not — that it was not quite French. It was something else, something different, something foreign. Interestingly, many people are persistent in their bias. I informed my graduate colleague that French and Creole were their own respective languages. She retorted, “But this Haitian girl I know said she spoke French.” Are we suggesting that because she said she spoke French, somehow Creole does not exist? Are we suggesting that a Black girl is not capable of being bilingual? I am not sure what linguistically motivates individuals to bring up the so-called francophone Haitian friend when I mention Haitian Creole. Whether that individual speaks French or not does not negate their knowledge of Creole, nor does it contradict the status of Haitian Creole as a language.

Black francophones are constantly questioned and even denied their linguistic heritage. I admit that this stuff is tricky. Hence, we must recognize our own biases so that our faux pas become learning experiences.

In the past few decades, French instructional environments have become increasingly inclusive. While this initiative helps students of French learn more about the myriad of different people who have a relationship with French, it misses the general public. Institutions, be they elementary or university-level, have the power to gradually expose their students to different cultures. Particularly, instructors should be candid about their own biases and those that are likely present among their students. As for students studying particular subjects such as linguistics, history or sociology, it is necessary for instructors to explore the intersection between language, ethnicity and race. An instructor can encourage open discussion regarding how languages are born, how they evolve and the integral role they play in the phenomenon that is culture. It is, however, primarily up to us as individuals to seek out the truth and be skeptical of the commentary we have simply taken as truth throughout our lives. People of any race can be biased and discriminate against someone of a different background. Therefore, it is up to us all to consider what we are thinking, why we are thinking it and how our interpersonal exchanges will make others feel.

–Marc Lewis, ‘21, a BU alumnus who double-majored in neuroscience and French, is a current graduate student at Drexel University College of Medicine.