Dear Concord Staff,
The demonstration (performed by the Black Student Union) was used to bring awareness to the mistreatment and micro-aggressions on campus. It was an amazing way for many faculty and students to represent themselves as allies and become further educated with issues in and around campus. We thought it was important to kick off Black History Month with this demonstration because Black History has been, for a large part, about fighting for our rights and respect as citizens. Despite the expression that Bellarmine is a home for all, as they incorporate the pineapple as a sign of hospitality, many of the minorities on campus do not feel at home. Many feel isolated, mistreated, and ignored, making this demonstration very important and necessary.
My freshmen year here I saw that our dining hall was always decorated for the holidays. I was very disappointed when they did not decorate for Black History Month. The supervisor’s reason was that she did not want to offend anyone, but how could celebrating a culture and history offend someone? Standing by her decision with the support of many faculty and students, many students of minority groups and allies here on campus felt offended. It is important to take a stand and have our voices heard. Being the president of the Black Student Union, I believe that Black History Month should be full of activities and learning. We may make up only 3 percent of students here on campus, but we still matter and still deserve to be celebrated.
Sincerely,
Briana Spikener
President of the Black Student Union