'Silence is violence'
Anti-racism protests continue on CMU's campus
With a line that stretched from Anspach to Wesley, Central Michigan University students' voices bit through the cold air as their feet rhythmically hit the pavement alongside the highway. Passing tour groups and seniors in the midst of their graduation photoshoots stepped to the side to watch as protestors came by, their purpose echoing in the sounds of their steps and chants.
At 1:30 p.m. on April 20, CMU students held a peaceful anti-racism protest as a result of recent events involving the use of racial slurs on campus.
The march started outside of the Bovee University Center and traveled from East Preston Street to East Broomfield Street, cutting through campus and reaching East Bellows Street before eventually circling back to the UC lawn.
Participants marched with a variety of homemade signs, reading things such as "Silence is violence," "It's not just a word" and "I can't believe I'm still protesting this s**t."
Students chanted "No justice, no peace," "We can do more, we will do more," "Black lives matter" and "Black students matter." Students also chanted for the enforcement of the university's zero-tolerance policy.
The protest comes just two days after the Board of Trustees announced a resolution that will implement annual required "inclusive excellence" training. This training will be implemented in the Fall 2024 semester and must be taken by students, faculty, staff, administrators and trustees.
"This will not be the extent of our action; this is only the beginning," Board of Trustees Chair Todd Regis wrote in an email to students, faculty and staff on Thursday. "We will continue to engage with our students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners to identify opportunities to strengthen inclusiveness at CMU."
While many students agree with the training and believe it should be implemented, others say it is long overdue. Sophia Scarnecchia is a graduating senior at the university, and she said she's disappointed it took this long for action to be taken.
"As a person of color of campus, you notice events like this and they're not new," she said. "It just took these videos going viral for something to be done. Now that I'm seeing the reaction to it, I feel a little depleted, because I'm been talking about this since I was a freshman and nothing was done. I graduate in two weeks, and now it feels a little late."
Scarnecchia said she is glad the policy is in place and is hopeful because CMU is open to change. However, she believes there is more than can and should be done by the university.
"The two people that were held accountable this week are nowhere near enough," she said. "I won't be satisfied until more is done."
The protest didn't just attract current CMU students, either. Various administrators came voluntarily, and so did students from other universities.
Omega Psi Phi is a historically Black fraternity, and three of its members from different Michigan universities also came to show support. Andrew Thomas from CMU, Nigel Gary from Oakland University and Chidiebere Anaela from Wayne State University are all members of the fraternity who said they came to raise awareness, show support and serve their community.
Thomas graduated from Central in December, and he said he's disappointed to see this happened so recently after his departure.
"I'm from Detroit, so I'm used to hearing the word," he said. "But hearing it come from someone that's not my skin color, and especially from a staff member is so disappointing. I'm ashamed this is the reason I came back."
Gary and Anaela heard about the situations through Thomas, and said they were inspired by him to come out and support. Gary said the inclusion training is important.
"It's important to bring awareness to it, especially for a multicultural institution," he said. "People have to understand the dos and don'ts so they can be more affectionate and considerate of what's being said to people."
The march was scheduled from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m., but the group returned to the lawn around 2:30 p.m. As a result, students remained to chant, as well as dance to music played on speakers.
Students, faculty and staff members alike danced and laughed along to the "Cupid Shuffle" and more, adding their own twists and steps to the dances for the remainder of the protest. The music blared on the speakers, mixed with protestors cheers and steps, rounding out the end of a week's worth of work.
