IN THE WAKE OF THE DEFACEMENT OF A POSTER ADVERTISING THE BLACK LIVES MATTER EVENT, PATRISSE CULLORS AND JANAYA KHAN (FUTURE) GRACED THE PAGE AUDITORIUM STAGE. THEY PULLED A DIVERSE CROWD NOT ONLY IN RACE BUT ORIGINS AS WELL. I SAT BETWEEN A DUKE LAW STUDENT AND AN ART HISTORY GRADUATE STUDENT FROM GERMANY. CULLORS’ DYNAMIC SPEECH HAD THE DECIBELS OF THE AUDITORIUM FLUCTUATE FROM CHEERING STANDING OVATIONS AND CHANTS TO GASPS AND SHOCKED SILENCES.
RECAPPING THE PAST HOUR AND HALF WHILE WALKING BACK TO THE BUS STOP, I FELT LIKE I WAS IN A DAZE. IN SILENCE DURING THE RIDE BACK TO MY DORM I LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW, TRYING TO PROCESS EVERYTHING I HEARD. I WASN’T THE ONLY PERSON IN AWE AFTER THE BLACK LIVES MATTER EVENT. CULLORS WAS ABLE TO DRAW REACTIONS OUT OF PEOPLE AND SPARK CONVERSATIONS. I SAT OUTSIDE, AT THE EAST CAMPUS BUS STOP, WITH A RACIALLY MIXED GROUP DISCUSSING THE TALK AND BEYOND THAT, RACE AT DUKE FOR AT LEAST 30 MIN. THE CONVERSATION SO INTERESTING, WE DIDN’T REALIZE THAT IT HAD BEGUN TO RAIN. CULLORS ENCOURAGED THE CROWD TO INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND DISSECT WHAT #BLACKLIVESMATTER MEANS TO THEM AND WHAT THEY’RE DOING TO HELP THE MOVEMENT. I TURNED TO THE LAW STUDENT NEXT TO ME AND WE BOTH STARED AT EACH OTHER IN SILENCE. SURE, WE BOTH SAT THERE WITH OUR “BLACK LIVES MATTER” T-SHIRTS, BUT WAS THAT ENOUGH? THE #BLACKLIVESMATTER IS THIS GENERATIONS CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. I HAVEN’T PARTICIPATED IN ANY SIT-INS AND I HAVEN’T GONE TO JAIL IN REFUSAL TO STOP PEACEFUL PROTESTING. WAS I AS GOOD OF AN ACTIVIST AS I THOUGHT I WAS? IT WASN’T UNTIL LATER WHEN I REALIZED THAT WE ARE OF A DIFFERENT TIME WITH NEW TOOLS FOR SOCIAL ACTION. WE HAVE NOT ONLY PROTEST BUT SOCIAL MEDIA. WE HAVE THE POWER TO SHARE INFORMATION QUICKLY AND TO A LARGE AUDIENCE. JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE, WHILE WALKING INTO MY CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY LECTURE I SAW THE DEFACED POSTER HANGING AMONGST INNOCUOUS FLYERS ABOUT STUDYING ABROAD AND PARTICIPATING IN SCIENTIFIC STUDIES. THERE IT HUNG, SOMEONE’S BLATANT HATE FOR BLACK PEOPLE COUPLED WITH THEIR COWARDICE FOR EXPRESSING IT UNDER THE GUISE OF ANONYMITY. “NO NIGGERS” IT READ. A FRIEND AND I IMMEDIATELY TOOK PICTURES OF THE POSTER AND POSTED IT TO DIFFERENT MEDIUMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA. IT WENT VIRAL ON CAMPUS AND THREE HOURS LATER THERE WAS A MEET-UP WITH OVER 100 PEOPLE AT THE CHAPEL EXPRESSING OUR SOLIDARITY. THIS EXAMPLE DIDN’T COME TO MIND WHEN I WAS TALKING TO THE LAW STUDENT BESIDE ME DURING THE SPEECH. I HAD WRITTEN IT OFF BECAUSE IT DIDN’T MIRROR THE ACTIVISM OF THE 60’S AND 70’S AS I SEARCHED MY MEMORY FOR A TIME WHEN I HAD CHAINED MYSELF TO SOMETHING AS AN ACT OF DEFIANCE. WHAT CULLORS AND FUTURE HELPED ME REALIZE IS THAT THIS MOVEMENT HAS ITS FOUNDATIONS IN THE DIGITAL SPHERE. THE DEFINITION OF AN ACTIVIST ISN’T LIMITED TO WEARING SHIRTS WITH MALCOM X QUOTES TRANSCRIBED ACROSS THE CHEST WHILE MARCHING IN THE STREETS. IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT EVERYDAY PEOPLE DO THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IT’S NOT SHARING FACEBOOK ARTICLES AND RETWEETING VIDEOS THAT MAKE YOU AN ACTIVIST. YOU HAVE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND PUSH YOURSELF AND OTHERS TO THINK ABOUT PRIVILEGE AND EQUALITY. THE CONVERSATION SPARKED BY THE BLACK LIVES MATTER EVENT LAST WEEK IS SOMETHING WE AS A COMMUNITY NEED TO CONTINUE. NOT ONLY TO DISCUSS THE PROBLEMS OF RACE AT DUKE BUT TO FOSTER IDEAS IN WHICH WE CAN COMBAT RACISM AND MICROAGRESSIONS.
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Gianna MillerClass of 2019 |