Colin Kaepernick and the importance of his message

Dr. Damien Thompson addresses students at Regis University //Rose Ferrie

By: Rose Ferrie, Staff Reporter

For those of you who didn’t know, this past week was Social Justice Week; there were many events pertaining to issues like feminism, anti-hate speech and sustainability. I attended an event regarding police brutality and Black Lives Matter. The Colin Kaepernick talk was a forum to open up the discussion about Black Lives Matter and police brutality, the criminalization of black men and men of color, and what Colin’s actions did for them.

I got to talk to Awah Tilong, the President of BSA, and a few of their members before the conversation to see what their goals were for this event. She said she wanted this to be a space for a productive conversation, for people to speak their truth, and be comfortable to disagree. Minds were not going to be changed in one conversation, maybe not ever, but this was a place to educate and increase apathy.

Once people had settled in, Damien Thompson, faculty advisor of BSA and professor here at Regis, set some ground rules for the night. This was a safe space, speak from the heart without judgement, listen from the heart with no need to agree, don’t rehearse your argument truly listen, be mindful of everyone and let all have a turn to speak.

This program was broken into 3 sections: “speed dating” (fast two person conversations), small group discussion, and a big group discussion. Talking one-on-one with people and asking how they felt about the Kaepernick situation was eye opening. One idea stuck with me and I have continued to ponder it: Did Kaepernick’s kneeling controversy end up distracting people from his initial purpose of raising awareness for police brutality against Black people? He may have had good intentions but his act of kneeling was twisted into a sign disrespect to America and its troops, his purpose was often lost in the media. He was able to disturb millions of Americans weekly Sunday rituals of watching Sunday football, he rocked that boat and started a conversation, just maybe not the one he was hoping for.

The conclusion of the night was that the criminalization of Black boys and men is a serious issue and Colin Kaepernick leveraged his social positioning to make a statement by kneeling during our national anthem. This situation was ostracized from being a peaceful protest for police brutality to disrespecting America and American troops. We are so patriotic that we disregard the racism right in front of us. Racism is rampant and blatantly so in the acts of brutality that affect African American men and boys as well as other men and boys of color. I do not wish to change anyone’s feelings about this situation, the goal of this conversation was not to prove a right or wrong but to get to the root issue: not every American is equal. The importance of what Kaepernick did and what this talk concluded with is that we need to address the attack on boys and men of color. They are being killed because of what they look like by people who should be protecting them. They are Americans and we need to live up to “liberty and justice for all”.

Regis to look into possible "Students of Color" wing in dormitory

(Photo: Natalia Zreliak)

By: Sally Andarge, Staff Reporter

               This past week Regis University's Black Student Alliance had a couple of special guests from the office of Residence Life and the Office of Diversity and Student Engagement attend their weekly meeting on Friday Evening. Yadeira Adams Burnett, Assistant Director of Residence Life, and Stephanie Colunga Montoya, Assistant Director of Diversity and Student Engagement, came to BSA for insight on a possible “Student of Color” wing. Although, the idea is only just that, an idea at the moment, there has been some elaborate planning put into it. This is supposed to be a freshman wing, to help students transition and integrate into the Regis community more smoothly.

               “Right now we are looking at O’Connell,” said Burnett, answering one of the many questions the students had. Burnett and Montoya came to get feedback from the students and ended up leaving with suggestions as well.

               The main idea is to create a safe and inclusive space for students of color, considering Regis is a predominantly white institution. The plan is to make this a place for students to really unwind, and have a space that they can call their own. The two Assistant Directors even explained that the RA of this wing would be a person of color as well, making it easier for the students to relate to them.

               In light of the racial tension that took place on campus last year, this proposal couldn’t have come at a better time. Unity and community among students of color is the best way to heal and move past this, not just as a community of color but as a Regis community. With that being said, this student wing is not completely exclusive. The goal of this community is not “self-segregation,” but to create a safe haven for students of color.

               Even now, with this idea only in the planning stages, there is a certain excitement building in the colored community here at Regis. All we can do now is keep our fingers crossed!

Black History Month: What Regis Students Can Do

(Photo: AfricanAmericanHistoryMonth.gov)

               Black History Month is a celebration of African American culture and history. According to Time Magazine, in 1926 Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (previously called the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which he formed with Jesse E. Moorland in 1915), created the first "Negro History Week." Woodson created it, as well as the Association because he was frustrated with how African-Americans were not part of the narrative in history lessons. The predecessor to what is now Black History Month began in the second week of February, as it contains both Abraham Lincoln's and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. According to Time Magazine, the celebrations of the history week picked up quickly. However, in the mid 1960s, during the Civil Rights Movement, colleges and universities expanded on the History Week, turning it into Black History Month. From there, in 1976, President Ford then decreed Black History Month to be a national celebration.

               But to truly understand what Black History Month means, as well as what Regis students can do to support students of color on campus, an interview with the Black Student Alliance (BSA) on the Regis campus proved very insightful. While there were mixed reactions to the perspective of Black History Month, the overall feeling was that Black History Month is not enough. As one member of BSA said, "You say it out loud, but nothing really happens;" there is a feeling of inaction regarding the representation as well as the education of the role that people of color play not only in history but everywhere in academia and beyond. When asked if the BSA is doing anything specific to commemorate the month, the answer was no. While there is Anti-Oppression Week, V-Day, and Justice Week to mention a few campus-wide events, it is expected that the BSA would be the one to completely structure the celebration of Black History Month, which many of the BSA members felt was too much pressure as they would be making something completely new.

               However, Regis students can do things in order to support the people of color on campus. For instance, the inclusion of people of color on flyers or ads around campus, minimizing people of colors' experiences both in and outside campus can help. Along with this, the BSA emphasized the importance of not expecting every person of color to answer every question about their community or the effect a topic has on them. They encouraged us to ask more thoughtful questions whose answers cannot be found by looking elsewhere. One of the biggest forms of support is integrating people of color more into the campus. Another aspect that the BSA talked about was the idea of tokenization; often times, the people of color on campus or outside of it who become tokenized are expected to answer questions or queries for the whole of the community. As a result, the people of color are seen as "other," and not as who they are, which are people, as well as our fellow students.

               For those interested, the Black Student Alliance meets on Wednesdays, from 4pm – 5pm, in Clarke 138.

Margaret Gentry Staff Reporter