|
UMW students march for unity REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING >> Second march since insensitive flier found on campus
UMW holds second unity march in two months
Date published: 1/22/2008
BY JEFF BRANSCOME
During the University of Mary Washington's second "Unity March" in two months, junior Jason Walsh yesterday carried a banner originally made for the previous rally.
It stated, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter," a quote attributed to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Like the banner, Walsh said not much has changed at UMW since November's march, which came after a racially insensitive flier caused a stir on campus.
It pictured a smiling white basketball coach with his arm around a sobbing black player and read, "Slavery Reinstated: Catch yourself a strong one."
"The general feeling on campus is that it kind of blew over," Walsh said of the controversy. He put some of the blame on students, saying "They're just in their own little world."
Acting President Rick Hurley took a more positive stance on student activism in a speech before the march--part of UMW's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
"I applaud your social consciousness and am proud that you're the face and voice of the University of Mary Washington in 2008," he told the 60 or so participants, some of whom were administrators and community leaders.
The day of the November march, students with a megaphone encouraged passers-by to join in. This time around, undergraduates posted fliers with the time of the rally. The walk ended at a memorial bust for James Farmer Jr., a prominent civil rights activist who later became a distinguished history professor at what was then Mary Washington College.
The gathering heard from James Monroe High School teacher Shirley J. Cordell-Robinson and UMW assistant professor of African American literature Danny Tweedy. "With what happened here on campus last semester, I took it personal," Tweedy said. "When any sort of discrimination occurs, we should take it personal."
A UMW freshman put the racially insensitive flier outside of his dorm room door but threw it away after being told it was a fire code violation.
Housekeepers later found it inside a Jefferson Hall refrigerator and complained to campus police. Hurley didn't know about the incident until reading a story about it in The Bullet, UMW's student newspaper.
Next week, administrators expect to release a draft policy to student leaders and faculty about how to respond to intolerant behavior, Hurley said yesterday in an interview with The Free Lance-Star.
UMW senior Osob Samantar said professors have more openly discussed racial issues since the flier incident.
Unfortunately, the cold weather didn't help yesterday's turnout for UMW's second annual march in honor of King, she said.
"All I can do is just pray that it'll get better every year," Samantar said.
Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com
Read more stories about Fredericksburg
Date published: 1/22/2008
Most recent reader comments:
Took it personally?
(posted by
juvenal
, Jan. 22, 2008 1:53 pm)
For an English professor, Tweedy needs to brush up on his grammar a bit.
|
Star Directory
