Some North Central community members made it clear where they stood on inequality, on Nov. 13. Many people including students, faculty, and staff from a variety of backgrounds came together to stand in solidarity with students at Mizzou.
Students at Mizzou are protesting injustice on their campus and have successfully been able to get their college’s president to step down over the failure to address several incidents of racism on their campus.
The NCC march looked like an energized funeral procession, a long train of students in black. Vice president of North Central’s Black Student Association, Davonte Sanders, coordinated members of the organization to come together and to help make posters for the event.
Sanders led the event with the chant, “We March with Mizzou; POC are people, too!”
The whole event came together in less than 48 hours. There was a meeting Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. to organize the event. Afterward signs were made and organizers were all over social media spreading the word about this event. Close to 100 students are estimated to have shown up at the march with others from Elmhurst and Wheaton colleges.
Manilyn Gumapas, Shekia Baker, Davonte Sanders, Sam Perez and Dorthy Pleas coordinated the event. “This is really good for last minute,” Baker added.
Before the march began, the four energized the crowd and prepped people with chants. The march temporarily stopped for some poetry and song led by Sanders and Baker.
Shekia Baker, president of the BSA, commented on the incidents at the University of Missouri saying, “this could easily impact North Central’s campus, considering we are a predominantly white school.”
It was about “standing up for what is right,” said Baker and students weren’t about to let the events at Mizzou be brushed aside. The decision to wear all black was made so those marching would be in solidarity with the students at Mizzou.
Before and after the marching there was a prayer led by NCC’s Chaplain Eric Doolittle.
Perez had heard about the Missouri events soon after they happened as he has friends at Mizzou. He was “immediately heartbroken,” he said. Perez then contacted Pleas, the director of multicultural affairs. He called it “a joint effort between BSA and Outreach and the Student Government.”
