The University’s Campus Way was recently renamed Fr. Dorsey Way after Father John Henry Dorsey, the first African-American student to attend St. Thomas (enrolling in 1888) and the second of his ethnicity to be ordained a Catholic priest in the United States.

The news was well received by most if not all students on campus due to the university’s choice to represent diversity accompanied by Catholic values. Everyone was happy. In fact, students interviewed by TommieMedia praised the renaming of Campus Way for its inclusiveness, acknowledgment of leadership and promotion of diversity.

The term “diversity” has been core of heated discussions for some time now, and while the concept in and of itself is important and valuable, the methods used to educate on the matter are often heavy-handed and divisive. Not to mention how the word is thrown around so much it no longer seems to have a clear-cut definition. What should generate understanding and respect, then, has been creating friction.

On the other hand, we have Fr. Dorsey, an African-American man who loved Christ and His church so much as to dedicate his whole self to it.

A close peer of mine once said that instead of pursuing what we like to call diversity, we should be striving for unity. Fr. Dorsey’s life is just one of many examples of the Church doing just that; reaching out and moving the hearts of many different people from many different places, uniting them into one body.

So, the renaming of Campus Way is a beautiful reminder of what we should be striving for: to cease over-examining each other’s identities and walk together following what we do have in common; the human heart.

Letizia Mariani can be reached at mari8259@stthomas.edu