I’m particularly pleased to share this guest post by Amy Mallon. I’ve followed Amy’s time here at Rutgers (from Civic Scholars to her graduate work now), and am excited to feature her voice here. She’s also writing on the Black Lives Matter Movement here on campus — there’s been some fantastic events on campus, and even better leaders, and I’m glad to have Amy sharing some of those stories here. 

“It is a form of racism having a college campus host a discussion on police and race, being patrolled by police.” – Ewuare Osayande

It truly took nothing more than a brief scan across the Rutgers Camden Campus Center to note two RUPD officers manning the MPR doors; I knew where the Black Lives Matter Panel was being held.

Current student, Markenzie Johnson, a political science major and activist, took it upon herself to host an important panel discussion on the topics of the Black Lives Matter movements, police brutality, and systematic oppression. The panelists included Alexis Wilson, a current Psychology major and activist, Tiara De Guzman, an English Major and Africana Studies minor, Dr. Keith Green, RUC Faculty and Director of the Africana Studies program, and Ewuare Osayande, educator, author and activist.

The room was filled with students, community members, a few RUC staff and faculty, local high school students, and even a board member of the NAACP New Jersey Division. The Panel, facilitated by Markenzie Johnson, began with a slew of questions and topics ranging from personal history to proximity to eurocentrism to issues around predominantly white institutions (PWI). The room remained fairly calm for the majority of the event; it wasn’t until Rutgers Camden as a PWI was brought up that some tension seemed to erupt.

A question to the panel, “How has Rutgers tried to make the campus more inclusive for African American students?” Dr. Keith Green noted that out of a current 288 tenure-track, full-time faculty, only 23 are of color. He also pointed out that there are 0 colored, tenure-track faculty in the psychology department while the majority of psychology students are black. Students in the room began standing up and sharing their stories of feeling discriminated against by professors and administration; the panelists offered their advice to those struggling with issues of racism in the classroom.

One student’s story stood out specifically; a young man shared that he is a good student with an “A” average and high class attendance. His professor never calls him by his name and only refers to him as “you,” even though the professor has learned and remembered everyone else’s name in the class. The student recalls having failed to turn in a homework assignment due to personal reasons, and upon asking for an extension was denied by the professor. The students noted that the failure to complete the assignment was his fault and he understood the lack of leniency. As the student left class, a white female student asked for an extension on the same homework assignment and was told she could turn it in whenever she could.

A father of a current African American student was appalled and enraged by the inadequate amount of colored faculty the Rutgers Camden campus. The father encouraged students to write a letter, throw your arms up, and make some noise. One audience member made a motion to recognize that “being diverse” and “doing diversity” are two separate entities, and she felt that Rutgers Camden doesn’t do anything to promote or support diversity.

The session came to a close with a sense of hope and opportunity; students and faculty left the room with a sense of optimism about the ability to make changes from the ground up. As everything was wrapping up, a high school student from Brimm Medical in Camden showed up late but came prepared with notes. As the remaining panelists, organizers, and staff listened to her questions, we all gathered around her in a moment of support as she discussed the challenges she is facing in the Camden school system and the systematic oppression preventing her from making it through to college. With a feeling of empathy and peace, everyone in the circle offered their wisdom and words of advice.

The call to action for Rutgers Camden, to evaluate what it means to be diverse and how effectively they are doing so, is one I will stand behind and encourage. It is not enough for Rutgers to define itself as diverse without first defining diversity and then determining what actions, supports, and resources make them able to cultivate and promote a diverse population. I encourage you all to write a letter, take a stand, and make some noise!

If you are interested in activism or following up for more information on this event, you can contact Markenzie Johnson at markenzie.johnson@rutgers.edu.

I’m Amy Mallon, a current MSW candidate at Rutgers Camden! I have been extensively involved in the City of Camden for almost five years engaging in a range of civic-minded activities. In my undergraduate career at RUC, I was a Civic Scholar and AmeriCorps student committed specifically to the issues of hunger and homelessness in the city. Personally, I’ve had my foot in over 40 different non-profit organizations in the city and have actively participated in Board of Freeholder meetings, City Council meetings, and caucuses. Currently, I am employed with the Hispanic Family Center of Southern New Jersey, Inc. in East Camden, and I expect to earn my MSW with a focus on Management and Policy in May of 2016.