The Grand Ballroom was transformed into a museum Monday filled with pictures, videos, and a little bit of insight.

“Beyond Words: Museum of Oppression” occupied the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union and will continue to occupy it today and tomorrow until 5 p.m.

The motive behind the museum is for students to better understand cultures, break past stereotypes, and get a different perspective on others, said Quiana Stone, chair of the Social Justice and Diversity Committee for housing and dining.

When entering the Grand Ballroom, visitors will see a clutter of displays to the left and the stage to the right, where the interactive pieces of the museum are presented.

A display on the left consists of gravestones of various people associated with oppression.

Names displayed include Emmett Till, who was killed for looking at a Caucasian woman in 1955, and Anne Frank, a famous victim of the Holocaust.

After the gravestones, students are greeted with a variety of displays that cover a variety of topics.

There are displays covering Asian Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, homosexuals, HIV/AIDS victims, Middle Easterners, Latin Americans, the homeless, and much more.

All the displays connect to oppression and the fact that these issues are still prevalent in today’s society, Stone said.

The museum is being sponsored by housing and dining and also included many more interactive pieces compared to previous years, Stone said.

There were two interactive pieces presented Monday.

One skit, performed by the Black Student Union, illustrated the struggles African Americans face while living in African American communities, said Thomas Battle, president of the Black Student Union.

The other interactive piece was a speech given by two members of Eastern’s faculty.

James Harden, assistant professor for the department of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle level Education and Charles Eberly, professor of Counseling and Student Development talked about the definition of oppression from the point of view of two different races.

“There are so many forms of oppression,” Eberly said. “The one that is the most challenging is that one where we prevent ourselves from being successful.”

Both Eberly and Harden believe that self-oppression is the worst form of oppression, but the reason for the oppression is another story.

“We hear so many voices growing up telling us we cannot do anything or we aren’t not to do things that it becomes very difficult to overcome the strength of those voices,” Eberly said.

The solution to self-oppression and oppression in general is also not that simple, Harden said, but can be done if people want to improve themselves.

“Perfection would be more along the lines of people wanting to achieve with clear definitions of what achievement and success are to them, and the audacity to hope and achieve,” Harden said.

Eberly also expanded on Harden’s idea of what people need to overcome oppression.

“When all else is gone, hope remains,” Harden said. “If we give up hope, that’s the point where failure becomes possible.”

Visit the Museum of Oppression today from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Students can share poems and stories of oppression tonight from 7 to 9 in the Grand Ballroom.