As a country formed by immigration, the United States has been identified as a "melting pot" with a mixture of races, ethnicities and sexual orientations spanning coast to coast.

Despite this notion of diversity, not all Americans are treated equally.

Words like retard, thug and bitch are derogatory terms, but are used in everyday colloquial language. They are stereotypical labels that have not only casually affected people, but have burdened and destroyed billions of lives.

Behind these words are a common ally: oppression.

The annual Tunnel of Oppression is a two-day interactive exhibit at the UW that addresses numerous types of oppression. Held in HUB 108, the exhibit is strategically organized with different rooms that emphasize topics such as age, class, religion, language, gender, physicality, barriers to education and experiencing war.

Sponsored and hosted by Housing and Food Services (HFS) and Fusion, a campus-wide Resident Advisor diversity group, each residential staff is held responsible for presenting a specific area of oppression.

"Generally, we talk about some issues that people haven't really had the time to explore," said Megan Graves, residential life intern and student chair of Fusion. "It typically explores the issues of oppression and how to be aware of the different types so that the information can be passed along to other people."

Haggett Hall, for example, is in charge of producing the gender oppression room this year.

"The point is making people recognize how gender roles are implemented," said senior and Haggett RA Shannon Neigel. "There's a focus on directing body image and different stereotypes that male and female are supposed to obtain, which is ridiculous and impossible."

Neigel also said the gender room presents a gender-role timeline and a display on genital mutilation.

The controversial exhibit encompasses information that is presented through art, newspaper articles, videos and other media.

"There's some written information, but we want [the program] to be about your senses," Graves said. "It is designed to highlight areas of oppression that people might not fully understand. People are encouraged to write about how they feel, like if they were upset about anything."

This year, the Tunnel of Oppression has been extended to a two-day exhibit with more divided rooms because of popularity in previous years and increasing involvement from campus residents.

"This is my third year being involved in the Tunnel of Oppression," Neigel said. "It started as a Haggett Hall program, and last year it opened up to a campus-wide RA program. Last year, HFS Director Paul Brown said he wanted to extend the program, so this is the first year that we've had funding to do it for two days instead of one."

For students wishing to experience the tunnel, they are forewarned about the material presented inside the exhibit.

"There's a disclaimer, because a lot of the rooms are meant to take you out of your comfort zone, but at the same time, we don't want to offend anybody," Neigel said. "We want people to know up front that some of the things they see might make them uncomfortable."

Students are encouraged to express their opinions at the end of the tunnel in the Reflection Room.

"[The Reflection Room] really reaches students and shows that people's opinions are changed as they go through the tunnel," Neigel said. "The impact [this program] has on campus is really rewarding because the first step to addressing issues is making sure people are aware of them. It's not meant to make people feel bad about privileges they've been born with, but that life is unfair and there is still oppression everywhere."

"It's something that's hard to explain verbally," Graves said. "A lot of it is what you experience as you go through it. It's what you take away as you reflect on it in the end."

Reach reporter Vicky Yan at news@thedaily.washington.edu.