William H. Kelly III
Associate Editor
Jackson State University has provided me with so much more than an education. Here, I have learned social skills, organizational skills, and even how to effectively protest.
Many of you remember the controversy from last semester and subsequent sit-in that occurred in the Heritage Dining Hall. Students were upset about what they perceived as unfair treatment from public safety officers.
Witnessing those events unfold; it was at that moment that I realized the power of peaceful protests. When students come together in support of a just cause and take action, these actions are taken seriously and can have positive results.
During the protest, I truly believe that most of us who were involved actually cared and were not participating for fun.
In recent events at other universities like the University of Missouri, students and athletes came together and held protests, hunger strikes and sit-ins in the face of racial tensions on their campus. By peacefully protesting and stating their demands, these students caused the nation to take notice and their demands were met.
However, protests, rallies, and other attempts to bring awareness to various issues on campus this semester seem to be ineffective. So far, this semester there has been a candlelight vigil for alleged sexual assault victims, a sexual assault awareness rally, and an attempted march to the capital that was cancelled.
As the media I have to be cautious of what I participate in and what I say at all times to remain neutral towards a subject.
I supported the candlelight vigil and felt the meaning behind its purpose. I attempted to support the rally but I noticed that some of the participants were laughing and taking the event very lightly. Lastly, the pointless march to the capital in support of the African-American students at Mizzou.
Yes, I said pointless. It seemed to be very unorganized, meaningless, and served no purpose in regards to showing support for Mizzou. Many of those proclaiming that they were marching could not even explain the purpose of the protest and what actions they wanted to happen after the march.
If you cannot explain to me why you marching, then clearly you should not be marching.
While I applaud the effort Tigers, if we’re going to support other universities during their time of crisis, we must be more intelligent in how we approach these situations. The organizers, as well as those who planned to participate, must first be aware of the consequences and purpose of the protest.
While preparing these protests, rallies, and other ways of bringing awareness to issues, let’s not be selfish when getting others involved. Think about the long term affects and those who want to participate. Ask yourself, will this shine light on the university and allow those who care to be involved or only myself?
I definitely supported the Mizzou students and anyone who has been mistreated, threatened, or disrespected in any way through racism and discrimination. But let’s not rush into things as a way to post it to social media. The goal of any protest should be positive results and not social media likes.
The old saying, if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything is true. But first, find out what you stand for!
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