Today, you can't turn on the TV, listen to the radio or even get on Twitter without hearing about yet another life being taken by a police officer.
The University of Alabama students have come together to take a stand on police brutality happening all over the country.
During Alabama's homecoming game against Kentucky, students sat during the national anthem to make a statement and show their support for Kaepernick, UNC, Charlotte and the entire Black Lives Matter movement.
The hashtag #BamaSits began to trend as a result.
To further advocate, a student organization called D.R.E.A.M. (Dynamically Reversing Everything Around Me) organized a week dedicated to speaking up against police brutality.
Students gathered together in the Ferguson Center to participate in daily events against these social injustices.
Picture Credits: @dynamicyouth15 on Twitter.
Just when it seems as UA is coming together as a community and taking a step forward, a racial comment made by a UA student in The Alabama Student Ticket Exchange group on Facebook goes viral.
The University then released several statements Wednesday pertaining to the ordeal which said:
"The University does not condone the use of hostile or racist language, or threats of violence in any situation. We urge every member of the UA community to be respectful of others and to express opinions in a manner that does not threaten or infringe upon the rights of others. The University of Alabama values the freedoms our country stands for, including the free expression of opinions and speech. UA strives for a community that is welcoming to all by providing an accepting and inclusive community. The University does not condone the use of hostile language or threats of violence in any situation. Proper authorities are being notified about recent social media posts, and incidents will be addressed. We urge every member of the UA community to be respectful of others. While opinions may differ, words are powerful, and we encourage everyone to engage in expression of opinions that do not threaten or infringe upon the rights of others. Just to be clear, the University's statement about freedom of expression was in reference to the incident that spurred the social media attention – a group of UA students who chose to sit during the national anthem."
Since the racist comments, Ryan Parish has been suspended from the university for online threats of violence.
Many students (including myself) question if the punishment is an adequate consequence for the embarrassingly racist comments and threats he made.
So where do we, as students of The University of Alabama, go from here? How do we end this war? Can this ever actually end?
I, for one, am so sick and tired of this dialogue. I am tired of trying to explain why these type of comments are not okay to make. Ryan Parish should be ashamed of himself. He has single-handedly made students feel ashamed of being a part of a university so strongly associated with racism, even more so now because of his comments.
I am angry. I am hurt. But more than anything else, I am so confused.
How much longer? How many more people have to die? How many more people have to be oppressed?
I'm going to end this article with a link to a video that matches how I am quickly beginning to feel.
