Honesty Hour is a new upcoming event at ENC, created by Elly Buford Jr. and Javon Winfield, that will give students a place to address race, culture and other social issues that most shy away from.

Due to the sensitive nature of some of the discussion topics, rules were made to keep the conversation safe and focused. Attendees spoke from their perspective, all contributions to the conversation were to be considered confidential. Listeners had the ability to use the “ouch clause,” a rule that allowed listeners to address when they felt a topic was becoming too personal, and from there the group would migrate to other topics.

The goal of Honesty Hour is “ultimately, to inform,” said Buford. “I feel that there are too many surface level conversations [about social issues] and we need [to acknowledge that] the world is so much more than ‘surface level’. It’s when we operate on this surface level that you get this era of color blindness and ignorance.”

Winfield and Buford hope that these kinds of events and the conversations held at them will continue as the years go on, especially as the ENC community grows closer together.

Buford hopes that Honesty Hour will leave a lasting impression on the campus. “I was trying to see what kind of impact I could leave on the campus and since I couldn’t be [Junior Class] President, I came up with this idea.”

Winfield decided to assist Buford with the Honesty Hour when he went to get ideas for a social justice forum. He said the purpose of Honesty Hour is to “provide people with a place they feel comfortable and not really be judged.”

At the Honesty Hour, attendees are asked to share their name, year, hometown and background. Robert Benjamin, who helped oversee the conversation, said, “Everyone’s background matters.”

Some of the questions raised in the two-hour long conversation were: “What is the difference between celebrating culture and challenging racial injustice, in terms of ENC?,” “Who starts/can start the diversity celebrating events,?” and “Why don’t we partake in celebrating our cultures?”

Be on the look out for the next Honesty Hour, which is planned to be held later in November, some time around the 7th.