The administration responded with numerous emails. The students responded by picketing in the CDR during lunch time. Faculty responded by facilitating classroom discussions.
It seemed like everyone was responding in some way, so I felt obligated to respond as well.
This is exactly why I attended chapel hour today. Students, faculty/staff, and administrators all gathered in Weaver Chapel to host a forum for discussion--a way for everybody to talk about what was on their minds.
The chapel was standing room only, it was so packed.
The reactions of the African American students and staff was completely beautiful. They were so moved by the sheer number of people who showed up to support them that it brought most of them to tears to think about it or look out into the crowd...
Furthermore, the young man who unfortunately had the note posted on his door stood up to speak, and when he was finished he received a long and tear-filled standing ovation from his Wittenberg family.
I attended chapel hour expecting a discussion about how wrong racist behavior is and how deeply it affects the lives of minorities on campus, but I walked away truly feeling like simply by my attendance, I impacted the Wittenberg community in a positive way. I did my part, I showed up and stood up against racism.
The first step to fixing this problem is understanding the we are ALL part of the solution.
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