At the University of St. Thomas last month, a student woke up to the words “N***** Go Back” written on the door to his dorm. This sparked not only student outrage, but also action across the campus. The Black Empowerment Student Alliance organized a sit-in as well as an opportunity to have a conversation with students about the racist and discriminatory events that took place. The University of Minnesota, and specifically our student body, should take heed of what St. Thomas students are doing and apply that to our own campus.
There’s often a general frustration on campuses that develops from a university’s response to situations students see as discriminatory or offensive. Many students feel a university should take a stronger stance in protecting students, while others feel their rights could be threatened through a bolder response.
Our student body needs to pursue more vocal routes to effectively stand up for their beliefs. Sitting by the wayside and hoping a higher body intervenes will not yield results. When we feel silenced or discriminated against, it’s important we do not leave the next steps solely in the hands of administrators. Although many in positions of power are allies, we must do what we can as students to see immediate results.
It would be unfair to say there are no students speaking out for others and standing up for injustice on campus, but we need to witness higher numbers of individuals taking action as a collective community. Hundreds of students at Drake University recently rallied together to raise their voices about incidents that were targeted toward students of color across their campus.
There’s no reason why we cannot replicate that here in the Twin Cities. For every Facebook post or tweet about campus speakers and bridge panels that get shared between students, we should see students on the ground taking action to fight for what they believe in.
We as students should take ownership of our student body’s response. We face an ever-evolving social climate, so vocalizing dissent or agreement is more important than ever. By putting the responsibility of assuming students’ responses into the hands of those who work for the University of Minnesota, we lose the opportunity to take charge of situations that deal directly with our community. Our voice matters in these conversations, so let’s make it heard.
