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March 08, 2005
Students of color, allies protest silently, ask to be heard
Students of color and allies protested silently last Tuesday in HUSC and and in and around Old Main.
The protest first became visible in HUSC, when approximately 35 students, the majority dressed head-to-toe in black, filed into the meeting. They sat down. Those carrying signs set them against a wall. None spoke.
Public Relations Committee chair Shefali Aggarwal was part of the protest. She refused to answer when roll call was taken. So was Maisue Xiong, the Coalition for Social Change committee chair. She declined her report by nodding.
The only words from the group came from first-year Pa Lee, who was nominated and approved as a student-of-color representative. After reading a prepared statement, she sat down and was silent.
In the middle of a debate to create an endowment for students of color, Esteban Renderos stood up. The rest of the group did likewise. They walked out and proceeded toward Old Main Mall.
The act soon halted HUSC’s progress, as quorum was lost after multiple representatives left, including
HUSC president Shona Ramchandani, who later joined the protesters.
The group filed out to Old Main Mall and gathered in a semicircle. Their signs, now revealed, faced to those behind them. One sign said "Do you hear what we hear?" Another read "We are not invisible."
More students joined, bringing the total to 46. A handful of students and staff watched the protesters' actions.
After standing still silent and motionless for a short period of time, junior Angela Robertson led the group in a walk around the mallpositions. One student stepped forward, and said, “We have a voice,” into a microphone attached to an amplifier. Another answered the call, and the speaker returned, only to move again when the group processed into the hallway outside the MISA Office.
There, Robertson distributed copies of the March 1 Oracle, which protesters said included content that was hurtful and offensive to students of color.. A flyer was also distributed.
The flyer was entitled "Students of Color Demand a Voice!" and on it were listed the following demands:
• That students of color be heard.
• Recognition of the events currently occurring on the Hamline campus that directly contradict the university's goals toward diversity.
• A change in the campus climate to be more inclusive and an effective learning community.
• A response from Hamline's administration so that change can occur effectively.
"We are here, each standing as individuals but uniting under one voice," the flyer said. "Hamline
University's cultural diversity policy is designed 'to create a learning environment in which cultural differences are valued.' However, this contradicts the experiences of students at Hamline who have been disrespected, invalidated, and silenced. There has been a history of incidents that have isolated and attacked students of color on this campus."
The protesters stood reading the flyer, and then the group filed into the MISA Office. Robertson, manning the door, only allowed protesters inside.
No protesters contacted returned requests for comments.
Posted by msveum at March 8, 2005 03:49 PM
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