Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
March 29, 2024

University supports Movement for Black Lives

By SOPHIE JOHNSON | October 13, 2016

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COURTESY OF KUNIL MAITI Around 400 members of the Hopkins community demonstrated in support of Black Lives Matter last Friday.

Hopkins students, faculty and staff gathered outside of the Mattin Center for a University-sponsored silent demonstration in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement on Friday, Oct. 7.

Around 400 demonstrators lined up along the sidewalk of N. Charles Street and held hands in solidarity with the black victims of police violence.

Demonstrators stood in silence, facing the passing cars. Many drivers showed their support by honking their horns, flashing thumbs-up signs and waving.

Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Jamie Riley explained why he and student leaders had decided the moment of silence would last 397 seconds.

“It was because the first documented African native was brought into this continent in 1619 in January. 1619 to 2016 is 397 years. So there have been 397 years that black folks, African folks, folks of color have been moving for equality and equity in this country, and we want to represent that,” Riley said. “So each of us represents a year of the struggle.”

In a speech before the gathering, junior SGA Class Senator Kwame Alston reflected on the injustices that led to the formation of the BLM movement.

“Today, when we take this moment of silence, we’re not simply remembering those we’ve lost, but we’re also saying that we’re done with the senseless violence. We’re done with the hashtags, we’re done with the constant fear that we could easily become one, and we’re done being afraid that our loved ones are next,” he said.

Alston asked the demonstrators to contemplate the reason why they need to fight against oppression.

“There’s no reason that the color of our skin should put us in danger, that an 11 year old should be treated like an 18 year old, and that even when I’m lying in the street with my hands up and I’m saying not to shoot, I’m still shot,” Alston said. “We’re still people, and we deserve to be treated as such.”

Senior Charlie Green, executive president of the Student Government Association (SGA), expressed SGA’s support for the BLM movement at Hopkins.

“As leaders of an organization that represents all students on campus, we recognize the need for groups to come together to support each other,” Green said. “SGA is an organization based on racial justice, and it’s our top priority to strengthen trust and communication between groups, so that underrepresented voices in our community can be heard... At the beginning of the year, SGA decided as a group that mental health, diversity and inclusion, and school pride and spirit would be our top priorities for the year.”

Anna Du, executive vice president of SGA, further emphasized the importance of addressing racial inequality.

“It’s really important that we rise to stand up and support each other and share our experiences without fear, because fear is equal to silence, and silence doesn’t lead to change,” Du said.

Corey Payne, co-chair of the Hopkins chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), criticized SGA for showing up to the school-sponsored demonstration while neglecting to attend the vigil hosted by the Black Student Union (BSU) on Sunday evening.

“I found their comments to be ignorant of the real issues facing students at this campus and those being dealt with by the larger Movement for Black Lives,” Payne wrote in email to The News-Letter. “I’m glad they were there, but it would be nice if they showed up to demonstrations and vigils that weren’t university sponsored, or if they showed a commitment to ending racism on this campus in any way.”

Friday’s event was organized by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

This campus office is comprised of four groups: Campus Ministries, Gender Equity, LGBTQ Life and Multicultural Affairs. The center advised the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) General Assembly for Multicultural Leadership, a student group that contains representatives from all of the cultural groups on campus, in preparation for the demonstration.

Sophomore Nazrawit Retta, an intern at OMA, discussed the goals of Friday’s gathering.

“I hope that this demonstration will be a step to show... that there are students and faculty who are willing to put in effort and work towards a solution,” Retta said. “We want to make sure people are aware of the steps being taken to resolve these issues, and I hope that this will build a community that’s united and diverse.”

Retta also elaborated on her frustrations with the current state of racial injustice in America.

“There’s been a lot of shootings and killings of black men all over the news, and it’s been very overwhelming to take that in and see that people are just being killed because of the color of their skin... to see that nothing is being done to fix that,” Retta said.

Retta spoke about the emotions she felt because of the lack of change on an institutional level.

“It angers you, it frustrates you, and it hurts to see that repeatedly all over and over again and there’s no change happening,” she said. “And so it’s important for people to recognize that.”

Lior Willinger, a graduate student at the Peabody Insitute, was struck by the warm reception that the demonstration received.

“I was overwhelmed with how supportive the people going by were, all the cars honking, the thumbs-up from someone in their car, and I think it was a powerful feeling to be a part of something that unified us as a whole,” Willinger said. “If we can expand on this then we’re really headed in the right direction, because this felt important.”

Hopkins graduate student Ted Frederic echoed Willinger’s sentiment, praising the unity shown at the event.

“I’m just overwhelmed to be here in the community of the student body and by the support that we had from many people who came by from all different backgrounds. That’s the most important part,” Frederic said. “I’m glad that we did this, and hopefully we can continue.”

Sophomore Giselle Ruiz noted how the demonstration was an opportunity to understand the trials of others.

“Black lives matter means equity for all. I love seeing people come together for peace,” Ruiz wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “The demonstration was an emotional experience. It teaches you empathy and allows people to look at a situation from a different point of view.”

Freshman Kendall Free appreciated how the University is making an effort to provide organizations and programs to support underrepresented minorities on campus.

“I haven’t participated in a protest before, but I thought that this was a really great way to get involved in the Movement for Black Lives,” Free said. “I found that Hopkins has a lot of structures in place. I was in a Pre-O for underrepresented minorities who are pre-med, so I just feel like Hopkins is trying to do something to reduce the disparities with minorities in higher education. I just wanted to support that kind of movement, and that’s why I came out.”

Carla Hopkins, the assistant director for OMA, believed that the event served as a significant display of solidarity.

“I would say the demonstration was a great success, because I think that sometimes we think that the Hopkins community doesn’t care, or that we’re isolated or that we don’t think deeply about racial issues,” she said. “So I think the visual of having a process of the Johns Hopkins community coming together dispelled the notion that we don’t collectively care about the things that are happening in our nation, the issues that are happening in the city and the issues that are happening on our campus.”

Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Kevin Shollenberger commended the diverse array of Hopkins affiliates in attendance at the demonstration.

“I thought it was a terrific turnout and was really pleased to see not only the turnout of the students but also the staff and faculty here,” Shollenberger said. “It was nice to see it bring all these different segments of the community together.”

Shollenberger reflected on the gathering’s significance to him.

“It was just important for me to come out and support the students and community. It has a lot of personal meaning in my life because I come from a multi-racial family, so it was just important for me to be here,” he said.

Carla Hopkins also praised the attendance of staff and faculty at the event.

“I’ve never seen so many different types of faculty and administrators and just staff people from all levels of the Hopkins community and in every working capacity,” she said. “I think that it was a really great representation not just of students, which I think is nice, because then the entire community shows that they support one another regardless of title, regardless of positioning. We’re in it together.”

Not all reactions to the demonstration were praiseworthy. Payne, recognized the efforts of the University in supporting the BLM movement but criticized the hypocrisy of the University portraying itself as an ally for black lives while at the same time perpetuating racism.

“I give a lot of credit to OMA and the new dean for diversity, who have been great allies,” Payne wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “But this is a university that continues to exclude and ignore black voices on campus, that continues to exploit and dispossess black Baltimoreans and that refuses to acknowledge its complicity in any of it. No doubt the event was a beautiful act of solidarity. But an even more beautiful act would be the recognition of the University’s real problems dealing with racism and white supremacy and a commitment to reversing the damage that has been done.”


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