2008 Woodie Awards
Art display indicative of larger race issues
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Editorials
To the students, faculty and staff of Miami University, and the Oxford community:
We, members of the black undergraduate student population at Miami University, are appalled by the recent display of ignorance and racism on this campus. Oct. 30, we were met with the display of seven nooses hanging from a tree on Western Campus that were allegedly hung as part of an art display depicting death. However, the nooses were found by two African-American students following a conversation with a fellow classmate about their location. These nooses had been hung on campus four hours prior to their discovery and left unattended without explanation. Given the historical context of lynching, known to many as the "Negro Holocaust," and accounting for the murders of 4,700 Americans, predominately African-American, between 1882 and 1968, this display not only touches a delicate issue, but is distasteful by any right. Creative expression or not, given the recent hanging noose episodes in Jena, La.; Atlanta, Ga.; New York, and more, a heightened sensitivity, awareness, and forethought must be given to displays of this kind. We applaud President David Hodge for executing a quick condemnation of such an action, as well as the Miami administration. We applaud the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) for not assuming a Halloween display prior to their arrival on the scene, and we applaud the Miami faculty member who made the call after noticing these students in distress at the sight of those seven nooses.
Sadly, this most recent demonstration is only a symptom of the overwhelming disease of ignorance that ravages not only this campus but the country as well, and is one of most salient importance. As students of color at Miami, we must already face curriculums that ignore our existence, professors that deny our worth, an atmosphere that belittles our cultures, and a community that hopes to aid our maladies by packaging us together under the divisive umbrella of "inclusive programming."
We, members of the black undergraduate student population at Miami University, are appalled by the recent display of ignorance and racism on this campus. Oct. 30, we were met with the display of seven nooses hanging from a tree on Western Campus that were allegedly hung as part of an art display depicting death. However, the nooses were found by two African-American students following a conversation with a fellow classmate about their location. These nooses had been hung on campus four hours prior to their discovery and left unattended without explanation. Given the historical context of lynching, known to many as the "Negro Holocaust," and accounting for the murders of 4,700 Americans, predominately African-American, between 1882 and 1968, this display not only touches a delicate issue, but is distasteful by any right. Creative expression or not, given the recent hanging noose episodes in Jena, La.; Atlanta, Ga.; New York, and more, a heightened sensitivity, awareness, and forethought must be given to displays of this kind. We applaud President David Hodge for executing a quick condemnation of such an action, as well as the Miami administration. We applaud the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) for not assuming a Halloween display prior to their arrival on the scene, and we applaud the Miami faculty member who made the call after noticing these students in distress at the sight of those seven nooses.
Sadly, this most recent demonstration is only a symptom of the overwhelming disease of ignorance that ravages not only this campus but the country as well, and is one of most salient importance. As students of color at Miami, we must already face curriculums that ignore our existence, professors that deny our worth, an atmosphere that belittles our cultures, and a community that hopes to aid our maladies by packaging us together under the divisive umbrella of "inclusive programming."
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