Moses Davis is a true believer that each of us has the ability to change the world and leave a lasting legacy for those who come after us. As an advocate for social change, his favorite quote is by Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
As director of the Multicultural Resource Center at Penn State, Davis oversees the daily operations and provides educational resources to Penn State’s multicultural student population. He also is chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration, which kicks off January 15 with a week of events, including the 42nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet hosted by the Forum on Black Affair, the MLK Jr. Day of Service, and culminating with distinguished speaker Dr. Cornel West.
Originally from Detroit, Davis earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary English education and Spanish from Western Michigan University, a master’s degree in higher education administration from New York University, and his PhD in workforce education and development at Penn State.
Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith sat down with Davis at the Nittany Lion Inn to discuss how the Multicultural Resource Center helps students and how we can all work together towards race equality.
Mimi: What is the focus of the Multicultural Resource Center?
Moses: Our focus is on the multicultural student population. So our office primarily works with students of color, and we are here to help them navigate through the whole Penn State college experience.
Mimi: Only students of color?
Moses: We work with everyone, but primarily students of color. We have learned over the years that some underrepresented students who come to Penn State can find that Penn State is a different experience for them. It doesn’t always mean bad, just different. Often they are the “only” or “one of” in their classes or residence halls.
Mimi: They are lonely.
Moses: Yes, some of them are lonely. So our office really helps students to get connected.
Mimi: I remember the time when students of color couldn’t get a haircut here in State College. And my first husband, Sy, was among those who did the groundbreaking and made that happen.
Moses: Really?
Mimi: Yes, along with other members of the community. And churches got behind and sold tickets for haircuts. That was how the affirmative action began to take place in Penn State. That was in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Moses: Even today, it is still challenging to find someone to do hair for people of color. There are a couple salons and only one barbershop downtown.
Mimi: Do you have any incidents where you feel you are being discriminated against?
Moses: One comes to mind very clearly. I used to be a foster parent here in town. I had a 7-year-old foster son and I was car shopping. I went down to the car dealership around four in the afternoon on a Friday. I was dressed in a suit because I just came from work, and I had my kid from day care. There were two salesmen at the front of the store. One was talking to a customer and the other one was just standing there. I went to the showroom just by myself. There was no Hello or acknowledgement whatsoever. A car salesman was looking outside the window with his arms crossed. I said, “Excuse me.” And he turned around and said, “Yes?” And I go, “I want to ask about the cars.” And he said, “Do you have a license?” And I said, “Yes.” He said, “Give me your license.” So I gave him my license, and he went back in to his room for like five minutes. I thought to myself: It took this long; he was probably running my numbers. He comes back out and asked me if I wanted a test drive. I said, “Yes. I want a test drive. I want an intermediate-level vehicle.” He comes back out, pulls the car up. I opened the door. I looked at the car and it has a manual seat. I said, “Oh, I didn’t know medium-level cars have manual seats. It should be electronic.” And then he says, “Oh, this is the base model.” I said, “Oh, I asked for the intermediate level.” And then he walks up, slams the door. He went back into the showroom, and then he came back out and said, “We don’t have any intermediate level cars.” I asked him if there were any specials. He goes, “No. If you want to buy a car, you can go to Altoona.” At that point, I was just so angry. But I can’t really say much because I had my little kid there with me. I went home and I talked to a friend of mine. And she said, “Oh Moses, you better not sit on that. You can’t just let it go.” So on Monday I called the dealership. I spoke to the dealership’s son and he was phenomenal on the phone. I shared the incident, and he said that this is not the experience I want you to have. Can you please come back? Long story short, I ended up getting the car I wanted with great service!
Mimi: I think there is a really important message. You didn’t let it brush away.
Moses: But that is what happens. In this town, you experience some discrimination because you are the minority, sometimes you just brush it off — I don’t want to be the one who causes more harm.
Mimi: So your job is to figure out how to do it at an initial level. Do you help with these incidents of prejudice and discrimination among the student body?
Moses: Yes, absolutely.
Mimi: With the passing of time, we still have prejudice, but we have made a lot of progress.
Moses: We still have a long way to go.
Mimi: Martin Luther King started a good thing.
Moses: Yeah. But we have more miles to walk.
Mimi: A lot more miles.
Moses: And here on campus we try to let the students know that we are here to support them. We also oversee the bias reporting, all throughout Penn State. Not only University Park, but all the commonwealth campuses, as well. All the bias reports come to my office.
Mimi: Give me an example of the worst kind of bias, without exposing any people.
Moses: I think it’s all pretty bad. But I think it is when faculty say certain things to students. For example, we had an incident where a faculty member made a comment to a student of Arab decent. He said things like, “Do you know anyone in ISIS in your family?” He wouldn’t ask any student that question. Microaggressions are very huge.
Mimi: What does that mean?
Moses: Microaggressions are insults or slights that send negative messages to marginalized groups of people. Often, the people who are being micro-aggressed don’t fully know the intent, but the impact is typically felt as a burn or insult. For example, if we are both walking down the streets together, you are a white woman and I am a black man, and you hide your purse. What I’m left to think is, “Did she just hide her purse because I am black?” And these types of things happen all the time. In classrooms, there are situations when a woman will always get picked the last as a lab partner or in a group project. So for the women, that is a microaggression. Because again, she would think, is it because you think I can’t do the work because I’m a woman, so I am underestimated? We never know. Microaggressions are very real because the person who is being microaggressed doesn’t fully understand the intent.
Mimi: What kind of learning is available for people to understand that?
Moses: That’s the challenging part. There are courses and workshops going on around campus all the time.
Mimi: Is it in the “All In” at Penn State? Tell me about that.
Moses: The “All In” initiative started this fall. The “All In” at Penn State is a university-wide initiative that brings the Penn State community together to show their commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment. The whole concept behind this is getting people to realize that we are all in this together. We do our best to make sure that Penn State is the best place for all residents.
Mimi: Give me an idea of how the campus is amongst the diverse groups. How would you grade us? Where have we come from in the past few years and what’s the goal?
Moses: That’s a big question. I think we are on the right track. During my time here, we have grown, but there is room for more growth. There are people here that really care about this institution. They are very concerned about Penn State, about everyone. … I think President Barron has been one the greatest presidents we have had so far.
Mimi: I agree.
Moses: His support for every student is really amazing. The fact that he came out during the Black Lives Matter movement to support the students, that meant the world to them. It is good to know that we are in the fight. We keep learning and challenging ourselves. It’s great that people in dominant identities, white, Christian, male, all engage with other groups. I think this is a big part of how we grow.
Mimi: My grandchildren and I are much more color-blind than everyone from my generation.
Moses: But color-blindness means you don’t see color. But actually, we want to see color. I want to be seen. I am a black man. The question is what that means to you.
Mimi: It means we are equal.
Moses: And that is the part of where we have to get across. Being different is beautiful.
Mimi: We have been making progress, but we have a long way to go.
Moses: Yes, we have a long way to go.
Mimi: I notice you are from a family of 11 children. What was it like growing up with 11 children?
Moses: I wasn’t lonely. There’s always someone around, so it was fun and challenging at the same time.
Mimi: You are the first generation to go to college, and get a PhD.
Moses: Yes. I am the first, in a lot of ways.
Mimi: You must be really proud of that.
Moses: I am very proud of that. I am always the one who learns from other people’s examples. I don’t need to touch the stove to see if it is hot. If I see you touch it and you get burned, so I will know that it’s hot and then I am not going to touch it. It was the privilege of being the youngest child. I was able to see other siblings’ mistakes — if they turn left, and then I turn right.
Mimi: The Martin Luther King celebration is themed “When Silence Becomes Betrayal.” Talk about that a little bit.
Moses: That was powerful. We had a lot of conversation about that. Think about where we are and the things we are seeing, not only on this campus but in the world. We are seeing injustice happening. We are able to see the injustice and speak out.
Mimi: You can’t stop a problem if we can’t discuss it.
Moses: Yes, and when we saw that theme. There was a ton of energy going around it. We are at the time now where it is not OK to be silent. We have to speak up. People’s lives are being lost. It is not only that we go out and fight.
Mimi: What is the most acceptable means, in terms of the paths, of making progress?
Moses: I don’t like violence. I don’t condone violence. There are multiple ways to protest. There are sit-ins, some protest without speaking. The Black Lives Matters movement is a peaceful protest. No matter how you protest, people need to be heard. However, people are walking around with their mouths taped shut, and it’s time to speak up and speak out against injustice. If you are a writer, you can write about a blog or post. If you’re more vocal, you can carry a sign or march. The point is, we need people to speak up. Or at what point does your silence become betrayal?
Mimi: Violent protests don’t gain much. Thank you so much for your perspective. I wish you well. Your work is not easy.
Moses: No, thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. It’s not easy, but I love it.
For more information on Penn State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration, visit mlk.psu.edu.
