2008 Woodie Awards
Jena 6 discussion panel well-attended
Student organizers and Professor Rhodes find hope in student voices in the fight against racism
By: Peter Wright
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
The legal battle six black students of Jena High School in Jena, La., are currently fighting was the starting point for a panel discussion about race and racism at American colleges on Nov. 8 in the Weyerhaeuser Chapel.
Two Macalester students, a Macalester faculty member and a professor from the University of Minnesota spoke at the event. Brittany Lewis '09 (a member of the Macalester College Student Government's Program Board), and Rebecca Holohan '10 (a resident of Macalester's Cultural House) were joined by Jane Rhodes (chair of the American Studies department and dean for the study of race and ehtnicity) and Rose Brewer (a Program Director for the
African-American and African Studies department at the University of Minnesota).
Kyera Singleton '11 moderated the event. She kicked off the panel discussion by saying that racism on American campuses may be on the rise, recalling Macalester's own incident with the "politically incorrect" party last year, when one student arrived at a party dressed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan with a fake noose around the neck of another student dressed in black face.
Brewer also linked the ramifications of the "politically incorrect" party to recent incidents of racism at surrounding universities. She cited an incident last month at Hamline University, when several football players dressed in black face for a Halloween party. At Minneapolis Community and Technical College last month, the assistant editor of the student newspaper hung a noose, apparently unaware of its racial connotations, in the newspaper office as a threat to reporters who did not comply with deadlines.
Brewer said that she has no doubt about the negative power of a noose. She said that it represents a history of 4,000 lynchings in America, and that it never loses that power, even when used in a prank.
"It goes beyond the surface of it," Brewer said. "It goes deeply into the history of racism in America."
Much of the discussion focused on raising student engagement and awareness about issues pertaining to race.
Two Macalester students, a Macalester faculty member and a professor from the University of Minnesota spoke at the event. Brittany Lewis '09 (a member of the Macalester College Student Government's Program Board), and Rebecca Holohan '10 (a resident of Macalester's Cultural House) were joined by Jane Rhodes (chair of the American Studies department and dean for the study of race and ehtnicity) and Rose Brewer (a Program Director for the
African-American and African Studies department at the University of Minnesota).
Kyera Singleton '11 moderated the event. She kicked off the panel discussion by saying that racism on American campuses may be on the rise, recalling Macalester's own incident with the "politically incorrect" party last year, when one student arrived at a party dressed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan with a fake noose around the neck of another student dressed in black face.
Brewer also linked the ramifications of the "politically incorrect" party to recent incidents of racism at surrounding universities. She cited an incident last month at Hamline University, when several football players dressed in black face for a Halloween party. At Minneapolis Community and Technical College last month, the assistant editor of the student newspaper hung a noose, apparently unaware of its racial connotations, in the newspaper office as a threat to reporters who did not comply with deadlines.
Brewer said that she has no doubt about the negative power of a noose. She said that it represents a history of 4,000 lynchings in America, and that it never loses that power, even when used in a prank.
"It goes beyond the surface of it," Brewer said. "It goes deeply into the history of racism in America."
Much of the discussion focused on raising student engagement and awareness about issues pertaining to race.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
wendy beaver
posted 11/17/07 @ 5:04 PM CST
i am an australian and will be coming to usa in the near future. have you ever really seen someone die by the noose. i have, when i found my husband after he took his own life. (Continued…)
Post a Comment