Black Student Demands presented at conference
A list of demands written by Eastern Michigan University’s African American students was given to the EMU community at large including administration at the Institutional Racism in Higher Education conference at 12 p.m., Thursday, in McKenny Hall.
EMU student Darius Simpson stood in front of a room full of people and encouraged the downfall of institutional racism. He spoke about equality and what the African American community at EMU deserves as equals in society.
While getting the entire room involved, he said that this event was solely focusing on racism towards African Americans and spoke about the inequalities in educational and academic options as well as what lacks in women’s health when it comes to the black community.
He gave an entire list of demands to the room but targeted it at the school as a whole. He made it very clear the demands were not going to be changed in any way because it would compromise the effects of them. The demands were as follows:
- 1.We demand that the amount of black faculty should match the amount of black students. Excluding all faculty in the Africology department. Meaning the ratio needs to match without including the black faculty in that department.
- 2.We demand all students should take a general education race, ethnicity, and racism course.
- 3.We demand Black studies built into the curriculum of every major.
- 4.We demand Annual cultural competency for all faculty and staff including DPS
- 5.We demand a CMA that has the capacity to host large groups of marginalized students in a safe space without restrictions on outside food. We demand a functioning CMA allowed proper space and given proper recognition.
- 6.We demand low-income meal plan option/not requiring that students who live on campus to acquire a meal plan.
- 7.We demand several black financial advisors whose sole purpose is to find and distribute scholarships and financial aid to and for black students specifically.
- 8.We demand a separate committee, made up of students selected by Black Student Union, for Black Homecoming Week with the autonomy and power to schedule and hold events for Black Homecoming.
- 9.We demand a Doctorate and Master’s Program for Africology and African American Studies with adequate funding and no less 3 full-time graduate assistantships.
- 10.We demand the Women’s Resource Center dedicate at least 3 programs a year to black women specifically. We demand a black resource center under the umbrella of the Center for Multicultural Affairs.
EMU Student Darius Simpson talks about paying attention to the signs of racism during the Institutional Racism in Higher Education Forum on Nov. 19, 2015 in the Mckenny Hall Ballroom.