Tunnel of Oppression- A True Inspiration

This year I had the pleasure of attending Otterbein's 'Tunnel of Oppression'. It was one of those events where no one really knew what to expect, and to a freshman that can be a little scary. All I had heard was that the tunnel was known for making an impression, whether that be positive or negative was up to you. A few of the girls from class and I went as a group and we were lead by a tour guide through the event. It was held in the basement of the Davis Annex. As we walked down the steps the wall was covered with red papers, each one with a different name, an insulting name. Each room in the basement had a different theme: sex trafficking, the bathroom problem, the glass ceiling, racial inequality, school inequality, and other quotes and facts posted down the hall. In each room you were read a passage about the current problem, and some rooms had recordings of true life stories. It was an emotional journey. While you are traveling with a group, some of the themes are problems you never would have thought were occuring. I had never heard of the bathroom problem until I walked the Tunnel of Oppression. The rooms were decorated with pictures, symbols, and objects that represented the facts, hurt, and reality of each theme. Although the walk was saddening it opened you up to the world unseen, the world of hurt. But rather than sulking about all the hurt in the world the tunnel gave me motivation to help. It served as a wake up call to count my blessings and help someone else. At the end of our journey was the wall of hope. This was the most beautiful part of the tunnel. After being exposed to the different themes your emotions were gathered up and centered toward making a difference. The wall of hope had golden stars pinned to a cloth, each one written by a traveler about their opinion of the tunnel. Stars were pinned with words of encouragement and motivation to make a difference. The Tunnel of Oppression was an amazing representation of the struggles we overlook today that are slowly affecting our country, it was a true inspiration to start making a difference.