Over 50 student body presidents stand in solidarity against the racism in Charlottesville

Student leaders from across the country organized this statement last night

Today, over 50 student government presidents have come in together in solidarity to issue a statement against the violence in Charlottesville.

Student leaders from across the nation have united together to release this letter, calling for others to speak up about the injustice.

“As Student Body Presidents across the United States, we are deeply saddened by the events that have occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia. We stand with the students of the University of Virginia, as what affects one of our campuses affects us all.”

Yesterday, hundreds of white nationalists rallied at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville for a “Unite the Right” rally.

According to ABC News, the reasoning for the gathering was because of the city’s plans to remove a Confederate statue from a local park.

This led to several street brawls and an attack towards the group of counter protesters as a car drove into the crowd which fatally injured a 32-year-old woman identified as Heather Heyer.

CNN reports The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will launch a civil rights investigation into the deadly crash.

“The violence and deaths in Charlottesville strike at the heart of American law and justice. When such actions arise from racial bigotry and hatred, they betray our core values and cannot be tolerated,” Attorney Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “Justice will prevail.”

Student Body Presidents together during a Presidential Leadership summit in DC

Student Body Presidents together during a Presidential Leadership summit in DC

Tyrell Mann-Barnes, one of the President’s in solidarity with Charlottesville tells The Tab Temple that this was done last night via Groupme, where they all coordinated together for their official statement.

The Tab Temple has received an official statement from Temple’s Student Government regarding the racism in Charlottesville.

TSG Press Release to The Tab Temple

TSG Press Release to The Tab Temple

“In this GroupMe with several Student Body Presidents, Zaynab AbdulQuadir- Morris from the University of California- Berkeley reached out to us about the statement she was drafting up for her campus and she wished to have our signatures on her statement,” Tyrell said. “After that, many of us started to do the same and we created a google document where we all signed our names and the statement we wished to jointly release today.”

The Tab Temple reached out to UC Berkeley’s Student Body President, Zaynab AbdulQuadir- Morris about yesterday’s decision to create this joint statement.

“When news about UVA broke, my team and I at UC Berkeley’s student government immediately wanted to see how we could express our support — especially because our campus continues to be a target for such hate groups. I remember then that I had attended a conference with other student body presidents and realized that such situations are why we all connected in the first place, to see how we can be stronger together.

“It made more sense, to me, for us to release a joint statement because we all will face the potential of hate groups visiting in the next year and we all agree that our campuses are not stages for nor open to bigotry.”

Photo from Presidential Leader summit attended by these student leaders

Photo from Presidential Leader summit attended by these student leaders

As student leaders, the message of voicing a stance on the events of yesterday is imperative for both the student bodies but also to the nation itself.

Their official statement states, “College campuses are spaces that students should be able to call home, not places of violence, hate, and racism. Students should always feel welcome and safe at our incredible tiger education institutions, never having fear for their personal well-being.”

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