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'We Will Not Sit in Silence'

“In spite of the difficulties and frustrations of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” Ajamu Lamumba, director of A.S. Programming, recited this passage and others from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech during an anti-hate rally held March 9 in the Free Speech Area. Lamumba called the rally “a way to combat racism and to stand up against those who made stupid and hurtful graffiti and acts of cowardice over the past few weeks.”

The rally was coordinated by the A.S. Women’s Center in response to three reported hate crimes and hate incidents that occurred on campus this semester. Two CSU, Chico students have been arrested in connection with one of the crimes. Several students, staff, faculty, and administrators spoke at the rally attended by about 300 people. Carol Burr, director of the Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies, said, “This [bigotry] is everyone’s issue, and until we say ‘No’ to this behavior, we are complicit.” President Zingg was unable to attend the rally, but he sent a written message, which Provost Scott McNall read. “We will not sit in silence when members of our community suffer assaults on their dignity and person,” Zingg wrote. On April 14, the Women’s Center will present Breaking the Silence in the Free Speech Area, to bring awareness to all forms of violence, including hate crimes.