2008 Woodie Awards
Students protest Jena 6 controversy
Sean J. Jordan
Issue date: 9/25/07 Section: News
Students across campus wore black Thursday to show their solidarity for a cause - a protest of their feelings for six high school students from Jena, La., known more commonly as the "Jena Six."
The previous night, the SIUE chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity sponsored a rally in the Morris University Center's Meridian Ballroom to educate students about the cause and to encourage discussion and debate about the issue.
The room was dimly lit as students began to file in, with an image of a noose projected on the screen at the front of the room. The lyrics "I was born … down by the river" wafted through the air. By around 7:30 p.m., the room was nearly full as the lights came on and the presentation began.
Carl B. Mitchell, President of the Iota Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, welcomed everyone to the event and introduced history professor Stefan Bradley to explain the issue of the Jena Six.
The Jena Six story began with a simple event - six students eating lunch under a tree.
"There was a tree, and it was supposedly an all-white tree," explained Lamarr Gray, a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. "Some black students decided to sit there over lunch. The next day, they came back and there were a couple of nooses hanging from the tree."
That incident is alleged to have stoked racial tensions and led to a series of events that culminated in a fight between six black high school students and one white student.
The six black students were arrested and prosecuted, first for assault and later for second-degree murder. The controversy of the case involves the treatment of the six students, as well as the state of Louisiana's insistence on trying one of the students, Mychal Bell, as an adult. During the rally, the fraternity played a video explaining the details of the case and the reasons that some people consider the Jena Six controversy to be a case of discrimination.
"Nobody thinks that these kinds of things can happen," Bradley said before the rally. "It's really been amazing how badly these young men have been railroaded."
The previous night, the SIUE chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity sponsored a rally in the Morris University Center's Meridian Ballroom to educate students about the cause and to encourage discussion and debate about the issue.
The room was dimly lit as students began to file in, with an image of a noose projected on the screen at the front of the room. The lyrics "I was born … down by the river" wafted through the air. By around 7:30 p.m., the room was nearly full as the lights came on and the presentation began.
Carl B. Mitchell, President of the Iota Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, welcomed everyone to the event and introduced history professor Stefan Bradley to explain the issue of the Jena Six.
The Jena Six story began with a simple event - six students eating lunch under a tree.
"There was a tree, and it was supposedly an all-white tree," explained Lamarr Gray, a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. "Some black students decided to sit there over lunch. The next day, they came back and there were a couple of nooses hanging from the tree."
That incident is alleged to have stoked racial tensions and led to a series of events that culminated in a fight between six black high school students and one white student.
The six black students were arrested and prosecuted, first for assault and later for second-degree murder. The controversy of the case involves the treatment of the six students, as well as the state of Louisiana's insistence on trying one of the students, Mychal Bell, as an adult. During the rally, the fraternity played a video explaining the details of the case and the reasons that some people consider the Jena Six controversy to be a case of discrimination.
"Nobody thinks that these kinds of things can happen," Bradley said before the rally. "It's really been amazing how badly these young men have been railroaded."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
dr blog
posted 9/27/07 @ 5:05 AM CST
Not only is there almost no coverage in the corporate media of black violent crimes against white people, but in high profile cases, the White victims are ignored and the Black criminals are turned into "real victims". (Continued…)
turk green
posted 9/27/07 @ 10:06 AM CST
I agree with dr blog
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