Over the past few months, there have been reoccurring incidents that have put the well-being of San Diego State's Black students at risk. The Black Resource Center has been vandalized not once, but twice and there was an alarming escalation to non-Black students yelling the "n-word" out of their vehicle by the center. All of these accounts are attacks against the Black community here on campus and they should not and will not be swept under the rug. There is a consistent demand from students to be heard, protected and valued; this demand is one of the basic human rights and will not be ignored.
This university should be a safe place for ALL of its students, not just the majority. Students of color have a right to a protected and secure resource center where they do not have to fear the next attack. With these recent events, it is clear that the student body needs to be louder in demanding better protection from our university. In an effort to do so, a march was recently held from the BRC to Hepner Hall, where students made signs and demonstrated the strength of the community by standing in solidarity.
This is a wakeup call for San Diego State. Your Black students are here to stay and deserve better, they deserve more than support emails. This student-led movement was a way to loudly and proudly show SDSU that we are aware of these recent attacks and are expecting better in the future. Black students have a right to exist on this campus, they have a right to further their education in a safe environment and they have the right assemble in demanding to be heard.
But this burden does not only fall on the shoulders of our Black students. All of SDSU's students must stand with the Black community in validating our peers' experiences and well-being. To be an ally means to listen when Black students speak, to reflect on how your actions aid or hurt the movement and to urge your own institutions to improve. Just because it doesn't affect you does not mean it isn't happening.
As EIC of San Diego State's Odyssey community, I can confidently say we stand as allies with our Black students and recognize the need for change amongst our university. This article is meant to send a supportive message to the Black students of our school and an even louder message to the school itself. Hate crimes will not be tolerated. Attacks against our peers will not be tolerated. We are the foundation of this university and should act as such in demanding more from it.
As an SDSU student, I love our school but we have tremendous room for improvement. We can be better, we can do better and we should.
