Diversity in a Segregated City Posted on June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 by Jacob Hanson “He was killed.” Jasmine Jackson, a current student at UWM, described as she recalled the homicide of her child’s father. “I don’t know. Someone just found him in an alley, shot in the head.” Photo by Jake Hanson. For many UWM students of color, survival isn’t guaranteed while living in one of America’s most segregated cities. Yet, UWM is identified as one of the most culturally diverse campuses in the UW System. According to a recent study conducted by UWM’s Student Success Center, approximately 15 percent of first year students identify as Black or African American, 8 percent Hispanic, 8 percent Asian, 2 percent American Indian and less than 1 percent identify as Native Hawaiian. Yet, more than 50 percent of the population identifies as White. As for Jackson, UWM initially frightened her. “I thought this was kind of scary. Because there were so many white people,” Jackson explained. “I looked like an alien.” Jackson’s upbringing also contributed to her fear of college education. She refers to herself as a child of poverty. She grew up in – as she described – a “rough area” of Milwaukee’s North Side, at 29th and Burliegh, where education wasn’t emphasized in her family. “We didn’t have to go to college or become a doctor or anything like that,” she said. When she had her child at age 18, Jackson thought college was completely out of the question. Jackson assumed she would work up to three jobs to maintain a sustainable life for her child, like many other teen mothers she has met. After the homicide of her child’s father, Jackson thought she needed something more in her life, and decided to attend classes at UWM. Not only was Jackson afraid of racial differences in college, she was also afraid of being rejected by other individuals who identify as Black or African American. “I’m a woman, I shaved my head. Tattoo’s everywhere,” Jackson said, describing why she thought she would not fit in with other people of color. “I’m an aggressive woman, not feminine.” As soon as she began classes, she was connected to programs such as the Life Impact program, financial aid opportunities and the Office of Student Life that mentored her to continue the education they said she deserves. Jackson’s current job at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has provided her with further support. She said that the other staff and her supervisors make her feel comfortable, and she has met many people of other races that she can confide in through her position. “It’s hard, every day,” she said. “But I do it so my son’s life isn’t a repeat of mine.” Now, she said, her family looks at her differently for attending college. She said they think she feels superior to them, even though they had the same opportunity to enroll. “But, I’m a proud Panther,” she said with a smile.