Northwestern University Publicly Honoring And Supporting Black Lives Matter Movement
A Black Lives Matter event is being sponsored by Northwestern University.
Black Lives Matter Event Starting At Northwestern University
Evanston, IL – A Black Lives Matter flag was raised over Norris University Center at Northwestern University on Tuesday morning, as part of a two-week effort to raise awareness for the anti-police political group, and it was all University-approved and sponsored.
According to The Daily Northwestern, an organizer said that the inspiration came from a similar event at the University of Vermont in September, 2016. Students began talking with Northwestern University administration at the beginning of fall semester, 2016 about organizing events to “cultivate dialogue around the statement ‘Black Lives Matter’, the greater Black Lives Matter movement, and the state of Black lives within our country,”
This discussion led to the two-week ‘programming’ that began with raising the movement’s flag. The ‘programming’ includes lectures and forums, a movie screening, and a candlelight vigil for lost black lives sponsored by campus groups, including the Northwestern University Chapter of Black Lives Matters. The flag will remain raised for two weeks.
One of the organizers said that the initiative is not coordinated by one group but by several groups instead, so that the movement can be discussed outside of one group’s mission. The organizers reached out to different groups that met their objectives. The Vice President of Associated Student Development “highlighted the importance of bringing different groups together.” He said that the University administration was supportive and helped locate resources and places to hold the events.
Northwestern’s Executive Director Jeremy Schenk commended the event’s organizers “for fostering discussion about how the state of black lives and the Black Lives Matter movement…intersect with the Northwestern experience. He also said “We’re really proud of our students who have worked hard to make sure that we can have this really strong two weeks of programming just to engage in the dialogue that’s really important and to be able to do it in a safe and intentional way.”
The event’s organizers said that even though the flag will come down after two weeks that they hope the discussion will be ongoing, because change will not occur until it does.
Perhaps this is one thing that is wrong with today’s culture and society. It is unbelievable that an university would sanction such an event that is based on the hate and violent rhetoric of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is a private university and as such is not accountable to the public. Discussion and awareness of an issue, perceived or not, is a positive decision. But to support this political group in such a public way, which has as part of its mission to attack police officers, is not acceptable.
And what would campus administration say about a two-week event about the violence against police officers and the Blue Lives Matter movement? We’re sure that it would not be brought up, much less discussed and/or approved. Many would scream racism and discrimination from the rooftops. But why does a black life matter more than a blue life? We would hope the parents of these students would voice their concerns to the administration, but we’re not holding our breath.
What do you think about this type of event? Please let us know on our Facebook page or in the comments below.
