BAM 2.0 Chronicles Racial Tension At Miami University

BY CHLOE MURDOCK
Miami University journalism student

This year wasn’t the first time Miami University has had to confront racial conflict.

As a member of BAM 2.0, sophomore Clara Guerra assembled a timeline of what she considers a cycle of racism in Oxford since the late 1980s. Her list, culled mostly from coverage in The Miami Student, includes:

• October 1989 to April 1990 — “KKK plans march protesting against recent ‘racism against whites’ ”: Two Talawanda High School students wear KKK robes to school for Halloween and say racist rhetoric. The Miami community responds with a protest of 500 people. KKK members drive to Oxford to host their own protest.
• March 1997 — “Black male freshman receives racial messages and threats on voicemail.” About a week later, the first Black Action Movement (BAM) gathers to protest. Days later, protests in Warfield Hall swell to more than 400 students. The next day, university officials meet with BAM to discuss its list of demands.
• January 1998 — Two white students, Steve Cole and Jeffery Ebberle, use a baseball bat to assault Jason Kindringer, a black student. Cole and Ebberle use racial slurs in the attack. The FBI does not consider the incident a hate crime. James Garland, Miami’s president at the time, publishes two letters in The Miami Student reacting to the incident and BAM’s demands.
• October 1998 — “Unknown person(s) enter the Center for Black Cultural and Learning and post racist and anti-gay messages. The incident is treated as a ‘hate crime’ by the university, but not by the FBI.” Messages contained pictures of a lynching, burning crosses, a Confederate flag, anti-Semitic paraphernalia and KKK members.
• November 1998 — Some 200 students stop traffic while protesting outside Bachelor Hall. Garland and Nathaniel Snow, who was the president of the Black Student Action Association (BSAA), meet and later speak to protesters gathered outside the Shriver Center. Protesters move to block crosswalks and Spring Street traffic the next day after Garland calls off the hour-long meeting. Police arrest seven students for obstructing traffic — the group is known as the “Miami Seven” — and the students are later released. BAM releases a larger set of demands.
• January 1999 — Miami police arrest Snow and student Brad Allen, one of the “Miami Seven,” claiming the two faked the October 1998 incident. Snow and Allen drop out of Miami.
• March 1999 — “Student reports racist threat: Racism strikes University’s residence halls”: a black female student living in Thomson Hall reports an anonymous message on her message board, “Kill All N----s,” to Miami police.
• August 1999 — Snow and Allen are acquitted of the January 1999 charges due to lack of evidence.
• March 2000 — “Racial slurs found covering board”: Someone defaces the faces of black leaders on a Dorsey Hall bulletin board celebrating Black History Month. The vandalism includes racial slurs and the KKK acronym.
• 2002 — “Campus ‘Ghetto Day’ insulting”: Student Norman Townsel publishes an opinion piece in The Miami Student in response to a student-led “Ghetto”-themed party that mocked black culture.
• April 2010 — “Hate crime brings racial tension to light”: Two men use racial slurs before attacking a black student. The incident is the third hate crime of Oxford in 2010, Oxford Police Department Sgt. Jim Squance tells The Miami Student.
• More in 2010 —“Off-campus party raises tensions among groups”: “The Annual Ghetto Fest” Facebook event is the catalyst for a town hall discussing “theme parties with degrading names.”
• November 2015 — “Students pledge to stand with Mizzou”: Racial incidents at the University of Missouri – including verbal harassment of a black student group, a swastika drawn on a wall with feces, anonymous death threats to black students on social media – inspire Miami students to form the “Concerned Students Union of Miami.”
• November 2015 -- “Miami takes to Yik Yak to talk race”: Some members of the Miami community turn to Yik Yak, an anonymous social media app, to mock Miami protests in Armstrong Student Center. One message read: “Seriously let’s start lynching,” while most “upvoted” Yik Yak posts stand in support of the protests.
• August 2017 — “Hundreds gather for rally against white supremacy on campus”.
• November 2017 — “Student’s slur sparked storm on social media”.
• November 2017 — “Students, administration discuss race at Miami during Black State of the Union”.
• March 2018 — “Racist slur GroupMe controversy resurfaces on Tinder”.
• March 2018 — “Students speak out against racism at Miami”.
• April 2018 —"This is Miami’: Administrators met with BAM 2.0 leaders last Friday”.
• April 2018 -- “BAM 2.0, Administrators meet for second time, make progress on ODA demands”.
• May 2018 — “From BAM: Not all demands met”.

As the spring semester ended, BAM 2.0 leaders wrapped up meetings with administrators, setting summer deadlines on their demands, said sophomore and BAM 2.0 leader Jaylen Perkins.

Top photo: Miami University junior and BAM 2.0 leader Aleah Holley mans the microphone during a 2017 white supremacy protest. -- Photo by David Taffet.