THE UCO COMMUNITY ORGANIZED A MARCH DEMONSTRATION TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

ON MARCH 10, 2020, STUDENTS AND STAFF from Central’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Asian American Student Association and Native American Student Association hosted an event on campus to show solidarity for students at the University of Oklahoma (OU) who were holding a sit-in demonstration on their campus. With additional support from UCO’s Diversity Round Table, the Black Student Association and Central’s chapter of the NAACP, the event gathered students, faculty, staff and administrators together for one cause.

As February 2020 came to a close, the OU Black Emergency Response Team – created by the OU Black Student Association in 2019 to respond to incidents of racism on the OU campus – encouraged people to gather at OU’S Evans Hall, dressed in all black, for a sit-in and hunger strike, after two separate university professors used racial slurs during class sessions in the weeks before. The demonstration lasted for three days.

As a result, the OU Solidarity UCO Transformation Demonstration was organized to support the activism of these OU students and to work toward change on campuses throughout the nation, including at Central.

In a message to the public, Savannah Anderson, president of UCO’s Diversity Round Table, outlined her hopes for the event.

“We are marching not only to show solidarity with OU students, faculty and staff but also as agents of change for the UCO campus as well,” she said. “We invite you to come dressed in all black to show your support and commitment to the elimination of prejudice, racial bias and discrimination inside and outside the classroom. We, as student leaders, would like to see participation from all who are committed to working together to make our campus better.”

The event began at the Blue Tent near Broncho Lake, with students, faculty and staff members gathering at 11 a.m., dressed in all black. Campus community members created signs complete with powerful messages to carry during their walk around campus. A line of Bronchos made their way through Nigh University Center, around Broncho Lake and through campus to Chickasaw Plaza, just southeast of Old North, chanting a call and response along the way.

Show me what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like. Show me what America looks like. This is what America looks like.

As the march arrived at Chickasaw Plaza, student leaders, including Anderson, called out to the UCO community to ensure that diversity is embraced throughout campus. Several cabinet members were present for the rally, including UCO President Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar, who supported students’ efforts to impart change.

“This is a moment when our actions must match our words,” she said. Anderson called for more action in the following months.

“This demonstration is only the beginning. We hope you will continue to engage with us to be the catalyst for dynamic and infrastructural change.”