Today: Mar 28, 2024

BLM march showed true power campus community has

Sam Tapper Managing Editor

Last Wednesday, Sept. 30, the highly anticipated Black Lives Matter March happened on-campus, origanized by Camryn Arpino-Brown, a senior, of which I had the opportunity to attend. I have multiple takeaways, but above all, the event showed the true voice our generation of students has.

The world is a bleak place right now, especially in the United States. From the virus that continues to infect people, to all the instances of racial injustice that have happened in just the last few months, let alone the entire history of our nation.

With all that in mind, it would be an easy thing for this generation of young adults to just take a knee and run out the clock until better days arrive. But on this campus, students not only refuse to be complacent, but they refuse to let their voices go unheard.

This rally was exactly the kind of event that instills hope on numerous levels. While much of the subject matter discussed was tough, and the stories from students and their experiences with injustice or racial profiling was downright sickening, there was still a sense of hope present.

Even during a global health crisis where large gatherings are prohibited, students took it upon themselves to approach the administration and hold this event. While having masks on and blocking most of their faces, voices were still heard loud and clear on this day.

The march, in my opinion, was a textbook example for what this university prides itself on. Social justice is not only about acknowledging what is wrong with the system, but also making the effort to educate people on why it is wrong, and what needs to change as a result.

I cannot help but wonder how this event would have played out in a world where COVID-19 was not a factor. Even now, the rally had a turnout of roughly a few hundred people, the largest gathering I have seen in-person since March.

In short, I applaud the job done by all students in the execution of this event. I applaud those students who took it upon themselves to propose and coordinate the rally. I applaud the administration for sharing their thoughts on the matter, like President Joe Bertolino and his comments about his son, Joel.

Most of all, I applaud the students who attended. There was no joking around, no horseplay, no games being played. It was taken seriously, and that is crucial. This generation of young people will be catalysts in the form of a national change. And to make a change on a national level, first you must advocate for change in your own community.

Black Lives Matter.

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