Over 90 students demonstrated on the Forum Monday in solidarity with black students at University of Missouri. The rally follows protests over racial discrimination at University of Missouri, Yale, VCU and other schools across the nation, as well as a Common Ground discussion attended by President Crutcher.
The demonstration was organized by a bourgeoning group on campus called the Multicultural Students in Solidarity Network (MSSN). The group seeks to create "solidarity between multicultural organizations and multicultural students on campus," said Victoria Prater, MSSN's secretary. The group is currently run by seniors Trisha Jackson and Josh Murray, but they aim to acquire more underclassmen leaders as the group becomes an established organization at Richmond.
Cassandra Ceballos, a Westhampton College junior, helped organize the demonstration.
"I feel like every year the numbers of people of diverse backgrounds increase here," Ceballos said. "But I feel like this is the first year we have enough of a presence on campus to get our message heard."
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. some of the demonstrators hosted a table on the Forum where people could sign a pledge to "commit to helping ensure that every spider thrives, not only survives." Demonstrators also passed out fact sheets about the events at University of Missouri and talked about how they applied to Richmond students.
At 4 p.m. the demonstrators, dressed in red Richmond apparel, lined up side-by-side across the Forum. Most of the students held signs with statements such as, "Solidarity with Mizzou," "Microaggressions are racist," and "Black lives matter." After a few minutes of silence, MSSN members Destiny Levere and Ismael Kagone stepped in front of the line of demonstrators and described what happened at University of Missouri, and how minority students at Richmond relate to the protesters there.
Levere outlined what non-students of color can do to support fellow students who feel marginalized on campus.
"Spread the word," Levere said. "Acknowledge that racism exists and microaggressions are offensive. But more importantly, don't be afraid to ask the questions...Get educated."
Education and awareness were the primary goals of the demonstration, said Brittany McDermott, community connections chair of MSSN.
"We really wanted people that haven't heard about what's going on who kind of think 'Oh, that would never happen here,' to get a perspective from someone other than themselves," McDermott said.
Melisa Quiroga-Herrera, a Westhampton College sophomore, led the demonstrators in a series of chants.
"Tell me what diversity looks like!" Quiroga-Herrera called out. "This is what diversity looks like!" the group responded.
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Words such as "democracy," "hope," "America" and "compliance" were interchanged with "diversity." When Quiroga-Herrera said "compliance," the demonstrators fell silent, indicating that silence perpetuates systemic racism.
Following the chants, the demonstrators spent ten minutes in silence, still holding their signs. Some of the students who walked behind the line of demonstrators stopped at the group's table to speak with a few representatives and sign the pledge.
"You're all doing a very important thing," a man walking by said. "It's beautiful."
The organizers of the event intentionally called it a demonstration, rather than a protest. An air of positivity permeated the Forum, despite the heavy topics addressed.
"We love [Richmond]," Prater said. "We just always think there's room for change."
Monday's demonstration particularly stands out because Richmond students aren't known for their activism.
"There's not a particularly rich history of student activism here," said Glyn Hughes, director of Common Ground.
Though it is unclear why that is the case, Hughes hypothesized that Richmond's unique resources and supportive staff could be part of the reason.
"At many levels students are more likely to experience their difficulties as personal and individual," Hughes said.
MSSN seeks to change Richmond's relationship with activism, and many see Monday's event as the kick-off to a promising future.
"This is what love looks like," the demonstrators chanted. "This is what the future looks like."
Contact features editor Kayla Solsbak at kayla.solsbak@richmond.edu.
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