News Release

ONE on Wednesday: Responding to racism

Monday, April 6, 2009

Stewart Hall bulletin board defaced with a racist remark. Yolanda Lehman's Race in America class urged the campus to post written responses to the remark. The bulletin board is expected to be moved April 6 to Atwood Memorial Center for display.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Students, faculty and staff will demonstrate campus resistance to racism suppertime April 8 at Garvey Commons.

Garvey Commons visitors between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday will be encouraged to sit at multi-ethnic tables.

"ONE On Wednesday" is the work of Yolanda Lehman's Race in America class, which is leading the response to the racist remark written March 30 on a Stewart Hall bulletin board.

The hate speech defaced a display celebrating author, educator and activist Dorothy Height. The bulletin board was in the east stairwell between the first and second floors.

Lehman's class urged students, faculty and staff to post handwritten notes around the bulletin board. The notes expressed a range of ideas and emotions about racism and its stepchildren -- prejudice, discrimination, oppression and violence.

The bulletin board and notes were expected to be moved April 6 to Atwood Memorial Center for display.

Lehman is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Community Studies.

Elsewhere on the Web

• View a "ONE On Wednesday" posting to the campus Arts and Events Calendar
• Facebook users can search "We Are One SCSU Student Resistance Movement" for more information
• The university's Voices of Resistance web site has more information about campus anti-racism efforts, including a recent Student Government Association resolution and a message from President Earl H. Potter III

<< Previous  |  Archive  |  Next >>