This is why we’re all sharing statuses about the Yale and Mizzou protests
‘Staying quiet will not make the problems go away’
Today Black students at Harvard are sharing statuses in solidarity with Yale and Missouri after tumultuous weeks on their campuses.
Following massive protests at Yale and Mizzou, where President Tim Wolfe just resigned, Harvard students are adding their voices by sharing a Facebook status about it.
It read: “As Black students at Harvard College, we are overwhelmed and inspired by the courage, strength, and resilience demonstrated by our peers at the University of Missouri and Yale University.
“Further, we are moved by the successes of their activism, which include the resignation of Tim Wolfe and Yale’s historic March of Resilience.
“These steps forward are the results of students employing their bodies and voices, and are reminders of the power we posses as students and citizens of this country.
“To the faculty, administrators, and others who actively choose to remain silent as students’ lives are threatened across the country, know that your silence and inaction causes harm. Take action.”
It adds: “One day, students of color at the University of Missouri, Yale, Harvard and every other institution of higher education will be able to claim our campuses as truly ours.”
We asked Harvard students about why they’re sharing the status and what it means to them.
Jack Kelley
I shared the status because I feel that the best way to fight racial inequality is through access to education.
Since these institutions have acted in ways that don’t foster a safe, open learning environment for our peers, we felt it necessary to voice our support for our brothers and sisters experiencing these issues we know to exist.
I feel the minority communities, and specifically the black community, can benefit most from solidarity on this issue.
By supporting my peers, I recognize that I am privileged enough to attend an institution where I feel comfortable addressing the race-related issues on campus, and I believe this privilege should be extended to all people, from all institutions, to ensure the right to a fair education is not being obstructed.
Kai Potter
I shared the status because I wanted to show my solidarity with the students at Missouri and Yale – staying quiet will not make the problems surrounding racial inequality go away.
As an international student from the UK I also wanted to inform my peers back home of what is currently going on at US campuses, especially as social media can be a powerful tool to spread awareness of issues.
Ericardo Edwards
I am not under the illusion that racial inequities are endemic. They aren’t a Southern thing, or an urban thing—they’re unavoidable aspects of American life that one encounters throughout the country.
So I cannot sit here in the Science Center feeling removed from and safely above the plight of fellow African-American students at Mizzou, Yale, and the various other colleges/universities like U. Delaware and Penn State.
We are all apart of a collective struggle, so we come together as a collective movement to fight against longstanding injustices that have become as trademark American as hot dogs and MTV.
Karla Veronica Alvarado
I’m sharing this status because I believe that what the students at Mizzou are going through is not an anomaly.
I know that there are black men and women all over this country at private white institutions who feel that their campus does not value or respect them.
I think it is important, with my privilege as a lighter skinned woman of color, with my privilege of not currently experiencing such a hostile environment at Harvard, to show those students that there are other people, near or far, who love and support them and are willing to share in their outrage, even if we do not personally know them. I hope that by sharing this status, I will help spark dialogue about what is happening in our country, here at Harvard, and in other communities.
I think it is extremely important for Harvard students to show our support because of the unique position of privilege we have. Since I have arrived at Harvard, I have not seen the blatant shows of racism and white privilege that have been happening on Mizzou’s campus and I hope I never do.
It’s important, though, to know that those students could be any one of us black students on campus. Solidarity in dark, frightening times is important to give those students hope and strength in the face of such ugly racism. I stand in solidarity with the students at Mizzou and I hope that my peers at Harvard will be brave enough to do the same.
Carmella Verrastro
Among people our age there can be a general apathy about wider racial issues in America. These new protests show our past isn’t over. I’m inspired when this happens because it shows people are aware and trying to spread the word. Even just seeing a Facebook status can show people know what’s happening.
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