The students say they want to explain the deeper impact UNC’s connections to racist individuals has on people of color — that every day, students in class in Saunders Hall are reminded their ancestors were attacked because of their skin.
“The critique isn’t necessarily about the building name or about UNC in general,” Babatunde, an organizer of the Real Silent Sam Coalition, said. “It’s about what is a student of color’s place on campus.”
Real Silent Sam Coalition member Tasia Harris said that people tend to blame “random, racist people” for such things as the racist song that was sung at a University of Oklahoma fraternity event, the racist pledge book used by a North Carolina State University fraternity and the racist remarks made by some members of the Ferguson, Missouri, police department.
“No, these are people taking actions on the foundation set by Saunders,” said Harris, who’s also a part of the group Students for Education Reform.
The university did not have a comment, except to note it is soliciting input from the community until April 25. Some trustees said during Wednesday’s meeting that they were open to changing the building’s name.
“This is the time to face the issues of race and place,” UNC Trustees Vice Chair Alston Gardner said at the meeting, going on to mock Starbucks’ “Race Together” campaign. “We embrace the discussion and we believe the university is a fantastic venue for that — much better than Starbucks and a 45-second conversation with your barista.”
Article Appeared @http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/unc-kkk_n_6948762.html