As many of you know, over the past week or so, there have been multiple unacceptable acts of racism committed on our campus and the surrounding areas. It has shed a negative light on our campus and the values we hold as a campus and a community. These acts do not reflect the Buff community at its best and have brought forth many thoughts and ideas for how to go forward as a unified community and body.
These incidents began on Sunday, October 6, when a video was posted on social media showing a woman (who at the time was thought to be a student) cursing at and using racial slurs towards black students in a study room of the Engineering Center. This woman is seen using the N-word towards these men and accusing them of stalking her with no evidence to back up the claim. She continued to do so until she was asked to leave by a professor with the promise of an escort out by campus police if she refused to comply with orders.
This woman has since been identified and subsequently arrested by the CUPD, having been booked at the Boulder County Jail on a misdemeanor harassment charge on Friday, October 11.
This incident kickstarted a campus-wide response to promote change regarding campus policies linked to race and combatting racism. Throughout the week following the incident, there were multiple announcements regarding policy changes and demands based around the hopes of preventing an event such as this from occurring on our campus in the future.
This also gained recognition and attention off-campus and outside of the student body. It was covered by several statewide news stations and papers, giving further coverage to events that allow us to see that these incidents are far from uncommon.
The Black Student Alliance was especially condemning of this incident and came forward with requests to meet with the Chancellor to discuss a list of demands regarding the issue and its further impact on campus politics.
A meeting between the Chancellor and the executive board of the Black Student Union was had to address and air out these demands/concerns and turn them into an orderly five-point plan. Including input from both ends, the students and the faculty, to hopefully create a list of demands that will work for the campus as one.
At the time in which these discussions were occurring, the entire student body was also pushing for changes in their way. There were many protests throughout campus to demonstrate unity and how unacceptable these actions were felt to be within the community. Many students gathered wearing black outside of our memorial center in solidarity for those who were attacked by this incident. The Chancellor and President Mark Kennedy also made multiple speeches during this time; discussing higher education, and how our school fits into the mold, as well as how this incident is affecting our schools’ racial culture.
One of these protests occurred during a speech made by the Chancellor. A group of 50 students slowly got up and started walking out partway through this speech as they thought the topic of racism and the racist incident from earlier in the week was no longer being addressed to the level of seriousness that it needed to be and was beginning to be glossed over.
Despite all of the action that was taken, these incidents are still ever prevalent on our campus. On Friday, October 11, a picture was posted on Instagram in which you can see that someone took the liberty to write the N-word in the snow on someone’s car. Simply due to it being convenient or easy to achieve at the moment, while not taking into consideration the hurt it would cause.
It is extremely saddening to see that these incidents are still taking place, despite all of the efforts that have gone on throughout campus and outside of the student body to put incidents such as this at bay. To achieve a unified student body, we must all work together to ensure that events such as these DO NOT continue to be a regular occurrence on our campus and within the student body.
Sources:
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/10/07/university-investigates-racist-incident
https://cuindependent.com/2019/10/06/cu-boulder-racial-slur-engineering-center/