Year in Review, Winter: Campus Responds to Nationwide Police Brutality

During Exeter’s Thanksgiving break, America was left in uproar after Officer Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was not indicted by a grand jury in November 2014. On the same day, another grand jury denied the indictment of the white police officer who killed Eric Garner, a black man, using a chokehold. After several publicized instances of police brutality, many Americans began to protest against racial discrimination. Principal Tom Hassan sent an email acknowledging the importance of continuing discussion about racial discrimination. As Exonians returned to campus for the winter term, racism and police brutality were at the forefront of many students’ minds. Dean of Multicultural Affairs Rosanna Salcedo led an assembly centered around racial discrimination, following a Die-In organized by Afro Latino Exonian Society (ALES). Around 100 students gathered in the academic quad, laying in silence on the icy ground for four and a half minutes to represent the four and half hours Michael Brown’s body was left on the sidewalk in Ferguson, Missouri. Additionally, members of the community expressed their personal views of the events at a forum in the church. At MLK day, the conversation continued along with capital punishment lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s inspiring speech about mass incarceration in the U.S. After MLK Day, students and faculty hoped that discussions regarding racial inequality and injustice will continue on campus, even if it is often difficult to talk about it comfortably. Racism is a daily reality for many students on campus, and although the discussions on campus were a start, many are in fear that the attention will die down as other issues arise.