As much as people may try to deny it, a terrible reality is on the verge of being exposed. There is something that 77 percent of the United States’ population did not experience over the last few months since the election of president Donald Trump: fear pf deportation. Of course, there are concerned citizens, and angry citizens, but only 23 percent of the population must face the however slim possibility that they may be evicted from the country they call home. People may dismiss the possibility of legal immigrants and birth-right citizens being neglected and left to a corrupt system as little to nonexistent. However, the reality that irrefutably changed the lives of many illegal immigrants in the United States threatens the well-being of all people of color, no matter their nature of citizenship: this country may be more racist and discriminatory than it would like to believe.
On Sunday, September 17, an incident of unauthorized posting of fliers promoting Identity Evropa, a group previously identified as a white supremacist group, resulted in a wave of concern and protests across campus the following Monday. In response to this chilling series of events, Stockton’s Student Senate decided to host a “Unite Against Hate” rally and march to stand against hate groups and any form of discrimination that they may promote whether it be racial, religious, disability, or sexual orientation.
On Thursday, September 21, a large group of students and faculty filled the Campus Center lobby to hear organization leaders and representatives speak against the spreading of animosity on campus, and to be reassured of the safety of the student body. The speakers included representatives from the Student Senate, the Unified Black Students Society, the Latin American Student society, the Muslim Student Society, the Stockton University faculty, and other distinguished members of the community.
Anthony Vigliano asked the 72% of students representing the white population to think about their privilege of being able to go about campus knowing that they will not feel directly threatened by the messages of Identity Evropa. Mahalia Bazile spoke of the easily missed forms of exclusion that can be found in such places as a supermarket regarding shampoo for black people in the “ethnic hair” section, or her inability to find nude colored clothing that matched her skin tone. Carolina Paula emphasized that the Latino community felt that they may feel as if they did not have a voice in the school community, but that she would be the voice for all Latinos. Faculty Senate President Donnetrice Allison assured students that the university and faculty will not tolerate any forms of hate or discrimination at the school, and that anyone who felt threatened by ongoing events should feel comfortable speaking to their professors. Still other speakers referred to the Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech to ask for the rightful integration of black people into our existing society.
The rally in the Campus Center was followed by a short march through the university campus accompanied by chants of equality for various racial and ethnic groups. Students marched to take a stand against hate and make clear that any forms of discrimination on campus would not be tolerated. The march ended with Angela Y. Davis’ four demands for Stockton’s President Harvey Kesselman to better protect the school from future such occurrences and to promise the safety and well-being of all minority students.
Many students who were at the rally felt that their sense of security was being threatened by the white supremacy group. Minority groups felt as if they were being singled out. In a society where Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians work hard to be integrated into a society where the color of their skin and their racial differences already divide them from the majority of the population, Identity Evropa seemed to be clearly separating those who were white and those who were not. Minority groups felt targeted, and felt as though the white “supremacy” posters were trying to spread the idea that people who were not white were “inferior” to those that were. The fear of being physically targeted was not the principal emotion that this incident produced, but rather it was the fear of discrimination—the fear that minority groups would be seen as “victims.”
This concept is clearly something that all people from ethnic backgrounds have been trying to eradicate throughout American history, and so feelings of dread were high the day of the rally and march. It was nerve-racking and upsetting to see the number of police officers in the area that the school deemed necessary for the protection of the marchers. Why should there be a need for police protection for people who are simply asking for something as simple as basic human rights? Some may argue that the posting of the fliers was just an expression of a group of people’s opinions, and that they have freedom of speech, but should a discriminatory idea or concept be voiced if it puts certain groups in danger and threatens their well-being? Such actions are ethically and morally incorrect, and should be suppressed for the cohesion and unity of all people who call the United States their home.