WSU contingent says civil rights combat continues, points persist at college | Native Information

OGDEN – Miscommunication prevented a flag from being hoisted Thursday to kick off activities on Juneteenth in northern Utah.

However, those attending the ceremony on the Weber State University campus delivered a strong message – that the struggle for civil rights for People of Color continues. The student-led participants – part of what they call the Black at Weber movement to draw attention to the racial injustices they allegedly face – also echoed strong criticisms of the university that some had previously voiced.

“The problem is, there is just a lot of marginalization. There’s a lot of injustice, a lot of injustice, and a lot of blatant disrespect, ”said Terri Hughes, president of the Weber State Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a junior college student. “It’s a very uncomfortable message, but it is a message that needs to be heard.”

The Thursday event was supposed to be a flag-raising ceremony to kick off a series of activities scheduled through June 20th-June 15th. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, specifically the day June 19, 1865, when a Union Army contingent notified a group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas of their freedom. However, confusion about who should deliver the flag – student attendees thought the university would bring one – prevented the actual June 19 banner hoisting. Instead, Hughes and the other students held up their own flag.

“Today we wanted to hoist a flag. But our sponsors didn’t make any available to us. Fortunately, we brought our own in preparation, ”said Nailah Mansa, a Weber State graduate who serves as an advisor to the students of the Black at Weber movement.

In the Juniteenth embassy address, Mansa, the keynote speaker on Thursday, said that the declaration made on June 19, 1865 to the Texan slaves that they were free, did not end blacks’ struggle for a place in society against racism and discrimination have. The crowd at the event, which was held in an outdoor plaza in Wildcat Village where WSU dormitories are located, was around 20, including WSU President Brad Mortensen.

Instead of “true freedom,” Mansa said, blacks have continued to experience degrees of spiritual, emotional, and, for some, even physical enslavement.

Although the juneteenth is a time to honor predecessors and ancestors of the civil rights struggle, “we understand that the work, the struggle is not over,” she said. “That unfortunately, as we stand up here at Weber State University today, black students in this country are still experiencing racism at institutions that were never set up for their success.”

Students of color, she continued, face a number of obstacles in the university environment. “Black students and brown students still experience sub-par classroom, dormitory conditions while walking around campus. Black students still experience trauma, disrespect, distrust, and all too often the feeling of just being free, which is not enough, which is unacceptable, ”she said.

She also sent a message to those who would support people of color in the fight for civil rights.

“If you’re not doing anything to make changes so the lives of blacks and browns can be improved, then you have to check yourself, you have to check your privileges,” she said. “You have to check your words and your actions, and most importantly, your heart and soul. Because it is not enough to shake your head, to nod, to agree, sometimes to show up at certain things and to say things that sound like you support us. Put your money where your mouth is. “

Some of Thursday’s attendees also attended a meeting on the Weber State University campus last April when they shared the injustice and discrimination they face on campus. Shawnica Sanders, who heads Black Scholars United at the school, was among them, and she alluded to the challenges faced by color students.

“The way we all look and embark, we all sometimes have to make diamonds out of dust and I think at Weber State University Black made a lot of diamonds out of a very, very dusty path at Weber, which we continue to go.”, ” She said.

Ahead of Thursday’s event, Mortensen said last year’s debate across the country over racism, resulting in part from the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, underscores the importance of marking the Juneteenth. “It underscores the ongoing struggle we have for inclusion and justice in society,” he said.

In response to some of the critical comments on Thursday, Allison Hess, a university spokeswoman, said officials from Weber state were aware of the concerns.

“We want every student to feel welcome and included, but acknowledge that there is room for improvement,” she said in a statement. “We will continue to offer and develop programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will continue to hold talks and forums to hear and bring forward the experiences of all students. Weber State is a place for open dialogue, even if the message is that for some the university has missed out and needs to be assessed and improved. “

She said the mix-up over the Juneteenth flag was due to misunderstandings.

The university “provided the space, pole and podium to host a successful event,” suspecting the organizers would deliver the flag, she said. “We very much regret that a misunderstanding has undermined what was intended as a moment of unity for the entire community.”

Juniteenth activities in Northern Utah include a State of Black Utah town hall meeting on Friday at the Weber State Campus in Layton. Music and other activities will take place at the Ogden Amphitheater on June 19th from 12pm to 9pm and will continue on site on June 20th from 12pm to 8pm. More details at weber.edu/JUNETEENTH.