A student activist group at the University of Michigan is demanding campus officials provide them with "a permanent designated space on central campus for Black students and students of color to organize and do social justice work."
The demand is one of several lodged by "Students4Justice," who this month ratcheted up
campus demonstrations to pressure administrators to cave, complaining in a newly launched
petition that President Mark Schlissel has snubbed their demands.
The clamor for a segregated space for students of color to organize social justice efforts comes even as the public university builds a $10 million center for black students in the center of campus.In their demands, students explain why the new black student center is not enough, "because we want a space solely dedicated to community organizing and social justice work specifically for people of color."
"We want documentation of past, current, and future student activism and this should be a permanent space that is staffed, and has resources for students to organize and share resources," the demand letter states.
Leaders of "Students4Justice" did not respond to requests from The
College Fix seeking comment. Campus spokesman Rick Fitzgerald told The
Fix that at "this point, our colleagues in Student Life have been working with the Students4Justice leaders to better understand their concerns. This is our normal process."
The demands caught the attention of the Michigan Review, an independent student news outlet which
first reported on the issue โ and criticized it.
"The same organization that criticizes the University for failing to create 'an environment that engages in diversity, equity and inclusion,' is calling upon the University to undermine these ideals by facilitating a sort of de facto segregation? One where space and resources are designated for students based solely on the color of their skin?" the Review wrote."To advocate for the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion, while simultaneously calling upon the University to sanction these spaces on campus is both unprincipled and laughably regressive," it added.The demands were first presented last fall, but an updated version was refiled with administrators in late January after a series of incidents deemed racist, according to the demand letter.
This list of demands also call for more support for "marginalized" students "when oppressive attacks occur," increasing the affirmative action of "Black, Arab, and other PoC" in tenured faculty, more readily alerting students on campus of "bias incidents," and offering more financial aid for those of lower socioeconomic status.
Students4Justice bemoan what they perceive as a lack of action from campus leadership to these demands. In addition to the petition, earlier this month they held a sit-in, as well as a silent protest when prospective students visited campus.
"Our president has blatantly ignored us and it is time for us to speak up. We have been told that our demands are 'rude,'" the group
states on Facebook in announcing its petition. "We are calling on someone to care about students' concerns and to lead us with integrity and help us fight against the oppression and hateful acts that try to destroy us and our community."
I wrote: (snip) "I fear that awakened folks in their twenties are rarer and rarer.
"Everyone keeps saying / thinking that a greater percentage are becoming aware, but Iโve not seen it; rather, Iโve seen precious snowflakes, programmed by a dumbed down school system. Ask the kids you know what do they know about" any issue/matter of consequence, "whether itโs relevant, and if so,why? Most will not have a self-thought-out answer."
I mean, look at those idiot white folks out there. When white supremacists were out protesting against integration, you didn't see any stupid black folks 'standing strong' with them.
Yet, here you have dumbed-down/state-programmed whites protesting against their very 'whiteness'. WTF?
To those fools, I say, ( mostly facetiously*) "Hey idiots, put your money where your mouth is: go commit mass suicide like the Human Lemmings** you seem to be illogically both proud and ashamed of.
" Why not just jump off the tallest campus building in protest of your own whiteness? Please carry a note so we're sure you're honestly anti-white and not just another suicidally depressed "American Girl." *** (Or should I say 'Guyrll' lest I get grief for use of a "micro- (macro?) - aggressive description? At least we might then see some Darwin Awards.)
Oh, and maybe your note should include a request that whites be banned from any services held on your behalf.
Inanity trebled.
R.C.
* I.e., If you do, it's not my fault - would most likely be
(1) YOUR fault; and to a far far lesser extent,
(2) flaws in your upbringing, none of which I was involved with.
Please remember these old sayings of wisdom:
- "Just because someone told you to jump off a cliff doesn't mean that you should."
- "Sticks and stones, may ..... etc."
** No insult to lemmings intended. (And I'm aware they're not trying to commit suicide, etc.)
*** That Tom Petty song was about a girl who jumped off Beatty Towers dorm at U.F. in Gainesville, Fla., just west of SW 8th? Ave & 13th Street/SR441 - "She could hear the cars roll by, out on 441, like waves, crashing on the beach..." etc.
RC