Tunnel of Oppression

Each year at the Diversity Leadership Institute, participants are invited to participate in the Tunnel of Oppression. The Tunnel of Oppression is an interactive experience where participants walk through different “scenes” designed to display the many oppressions people are facing today. The Tunnel is a multisensory exhibition of some of the most difficult and complex issues we face today. The Tunnel experience will demonstrate the concepts of privilege, power, and the reality of acts of oppression as our community experiences them. Participants are guided through a series of “scenes” that aim to educate and challenge them to think more deeply about issues of oppression. 

Some of the topics that have been included in the Tunnel are racism, sexual assault, homelessness, mental health, xenophobia, Black Lives Matter movement, sexual harassment, and gender identity. The Tunnel experience will be followed by a facilitated discussion by professional staff members. 

History of Tunnel of Oppression
The Tunnel of Oppression started as a grassroots diversity program at Western Illinois University and can now be found at many colleges and universities around the nation. Inspiration for the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. was used as a template for the first Tunnel of Oppression.