Tuesday April 2, 2013 students, staff, community members, and reporters flooded Towson’s campus as part of the Unity Walk/Rally. The rally was hosted by Be The Change Towson, a student run movement.
The rally began at Stephens Hall where speaker Stephen Middleton kicked the afternoon off by addressing the recent negative attention surrounding the school. He shared with the crowd a story about being warned to be careful by a stranger who saw that he was wearing a Towson University shirt. Middleton expressed his frustration that the goodness of the school is overshadowed by the negative media attention TU has received. While the White Student Union is not a University affiliated group, ever since news spread of the WSU’s plans to start night time patrols of the campus, TU and its students have received national media attention. Many in the TU community express that the views of the WSU and the attending media coverage do not accurately represent the school. Tuesday’s rally was an opportunity for Towson students and staff to try to repair the school’s reputation and show support of diversity and acceptance.
Participants shouted “Be the change!” as the parade marched to Freedom Square. Some students waved flags, carried signs or wore decorated shirts to show their support. Once there, Stephen Middleton recited a poem and fellow student Bilphena Yahwon reminded the crowd of the power of unity and diversity. The rally was then directed to Tiger Statue between Burdick and the College of Liberal Arts. There the crowd gathered to listen to speakers talk about their positive experiences at Towson. To conclude the event President Maravene Loeschke spoke about the media attention surrounding the school and her approval of students taking a stand to show what they stand for.
Sophomore Gayon Sampson who attended the event said, “The rally allowed for the Towson community to come and band together to support unity. It showed the outside community as well as the students on campus that Towson is and will remain unified. I personally was truly impacted by the rally. It showed me how a school could come together and unify behind a common cause of Peace and Inclusion.”