I have been thinking about the hoodie march on Northrop plaza last week a lot. I am not exactly sure of everything I want to say at this moment about the march. But, as of right now, the only thing I can think about is what I want to happen post-march. I marched. Now, what would I like to see happen next at the U? A critical dialogue about race, gender, class, and violence. I want the communities of color in Minneapolis who marched for Trayvon last week to feel comfortable at the U at all times rather than in the event of a hate crime. I want to see those faces at the march in my classroom. I don't want to be the only one anymore, especially after standing next to so many people of color on Northrop plaza last week. If change can happen on the plaza at the U, it can happen in the classroom.
I was at Northrop too and was amazed at the number of people who had come to the march, and the fact that most of them did not seem to be UMN students. (I was expecting it be mostly students). What is disheartening though is that we need a hate-crime or a tragedy to come together, to protest, to challenge the system. But of course the hoodie march is only a platform to demostate our refusal to be silent, our disappointment/disgust at how the law enforcement systems operate, how race and color dictates the kind of 'justice' one can expect. What do we do with this anger, energy, unity that we show at the hoodie march? How can it be translated in to (as you have said) dialogues about race, gender and class, more people of color at the U? I guess I have just repeated your thoughts and questions here. But, this is an important question, that needs to be answered.