Miamians rally against white supremacy

BY MIAMI UNIVERSITY JOURNALISM STUDENTS
Lesley Jones, Miami University class of 1989, believes Miami University has “come a mighty long way” in fighting racism since her days in Oxford.

Speaking at a rally against white supremacy on campus Wednesday night, Jones said she led a similar effort 28 years ago during very different times.

“I can tell you that our rally didn’t look this diverse,” she said, citing incidents of racism she faced as a student. “So I want you to give yourself a big applause because we’ve come a mighty long way.”

Despite the progress – and show of unity in a diverse crowd of about 200 -- racism and white supremacy remain at Miami and elsewhere, participants noted.

As many waved signs and chanted -- with “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist U.S.A.” the most common refrain of the night – rally organizers Clara Guerra and De’Vante Malik Montgomery said racial violence earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia, inspired their efforts.

"It was something that needed to be done," said Guerra. "We've seen what happened in Charlottesville. We've seen what happened across the country. We've seen what happened in the White House.”

The rally, which started as Miami’s popular Mega Fair event was ending, was designed to tell “the whole student body that we will not tolerate white supremacy and hatred on our campus or within our community” and to support “the Charlottesville counter-protestors, especially those who sacrificed their safety and lives," the organizers' Facebook event page said.

Violence in Charlottesville

In Charlottesville, an Aug. 12 “Unite the Right” rally turned violent when a Maumee, Ohio, man drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one woman and injuring more than 30 other people. In Berkeley, California, this past weekend, seven people were injured and 13 arrested when a “Say No to Marxism” rally became violent.

Some universities have reacted to the incidents with events similar to Miami’s. The University of Southern Mississippi held two anti-hate rallies. The University of Toledo, near Maumee, hosted a rally to voice opposition to white supremacy.

At Miami, officials were on high alert for what turned out to be a peaceful though passionate two-hour event. Miami and Oxford police blocked traffic – with officers, their bikes and their cruisers -- as marchers left the Sun Dial in the center of campus and traveled north on Patterson Avenue then west down High Street to Campus Avenue and back to the Sun Dial.

As marchers passed Lewis Place, the home of Miami President Greg Crawford and Miami First Lady Renate Crawford, they flooded High Street and increased the volume of their chants. The Crawfords, on their bikes, had stopped by the event at its start.

Administration joins effort

On Tuesday, university administrators took a public stand against hate in all forms with a full-page ad in The Miami Student. Its letter to “All Members of Our Miami Community” said Miamians must “embrace diversity, equity and inclusion.”

The administration expanded its outreach today, hanging a banner across High Street that reads “Love Not Hate.” Later today, Crawford is scheduled to join city officials in signing an “anti-hate pledge” at the annual Oxford Community Picnic, 6-8 p.m., in the Uptown Memorial Park.

Among non-students in Wednesday night’s crowd, many lauded students for their activism.

Prue Dana, former mayor of Oxford, said the rally offered an opportunity for students to speak up. Bill and Sybil Miller attended the event to encourage students to carry on the civil rights work that has occupied them for decades. “I wouldn’t say we’ve gone backwards,” Bill Miller said. “But we haven’t made much progress in a lot of areas.”

Fran Jackson, president of Oxford’s chapter of the NAACP, agreed that more work is ahead to end racism but said she was proud that Miami students organized a rally. “This is exciting,” she said. “It’s enjoyable to hear students speak out.”

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Constance Galdell-Newton, one of the event speakers, said the rally provided a way to “show our public support for people of color communities and what they are going through.”

Claire Wagner, director of News & Communications at Miami, was pleased with the turnout and engagement. “We are a public university and we protect freedom of speech," she said. "I’m glad the students got to see this in action tonight."

Jones, a candidate for Cincinnati City Council and pastor of Truth & Destiny Covenant Ministries in Cincinnati, said she hoped the rally would “help people to understand that this isn’t a problem that just goes away.

“What I hope this does is bring people together and really send a message not just to the campus, but to the community of Oxford and to America that there are people who are standing up for justice and equality for all people and fairness."

Top photos:
> The Cincinnati Herald covered racial violence at Miami when Lesley Jones was a student in Oxford. -- Photo by Kelly Wagner
>Marchers lock arms as they fill High Street on the northern border of Miami's campus. -- Photo by Kelly Wagner.
> Spectrum President Hannah Clarke tells "fellow white folks" that "the onus is on us" to fight white supremacy. -- Photo by Kerry McFadden.

This story was reported by members of the fall 2017 Miami University Journalism Program capstone course called "Covering Newsmakers."