They're organizing a rally for the Harvard community to stand together and speak out against bigotry, discrimination and intolerance. They'll be gathering tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18 at noon in front of the John Harvard statue, where there will be brief speeches from UC President Andrea Flores and other student leaders. Here's the letter that's being circulated:
Dear fellow student,It's signed by the leaders of all the Asian American student groups, as well ass the Black Students Association, nearly all of the Latino and South Asian groups, the Queer Students Association, the Democrats, and the entire undergraduate student council. For some reason, this trend of racist incidents on college campuses seems to be getting worse. There comes a point where you can no longer stand by and let people get crapped on over and over again. I think it's pretty damn cool -- and absolutely necessary -- that Asian American students are leading this charge. For more information about the rally, visit the Facebook event page Many Colors, One Harvard.
The Harvard community has witnessed a series of discriminatory incidents in the past few weeks. The racial slurs written at the Chinese Students Association's Graffiti Party, the negative reaction to the appointment of Professor Jim Kim as Dartmouth's new president, and xenophobic comments on the Crimson's website are only the most recent of many events demonstrating that discrimination still presents a real challenge, even here at Harvard.
Over the past few years, no community has been exempt of overt bigotry. The Quad incident, the vandalizing of the Chabad House Menorah, and other incidents affecting the Latino and queer communities are only a few of too many examples of individuals being marginalized. While each incident may represent a minor, isolated instance of discrimination, collectively these events remind us that the preservation of a progressive community requires regular diligence and attention, generation after generation.
It is now our responsibility as privileged members of Harvard's accepting community to respond firmly; intolerance is intolerable. As such, the leaders of a multitude of student organizations have decided to hold a rally. This rally will be a peaceful demonstration of solidarity within Harvard's student community.
We will be gathering in front of the John Harvard Statue on Wednesday, March 18th. The rally will start promptly at 12:00 PM and will include a number of brief speeches from UC President Andrea Flores and other student leaders. Every supporter of the rally will be wearing a crimson shirt that day to signify the theme of the rally: "Many Colors, One Harvard." In addition, every participating student organization will hold up their student group banner or poster to demonstrate our plurality and our unity.
Please join us in this moment. We call upon you, the Harvard community, to seize this unique opportunity for solidarity. This Wednesday at noon, we will rally together as one community, with one voice. We will gather in front of University Hall to demonstrate our commitment to tolerance and acceptance. Though we cannot eradicate discrimination through a single rally, we only ensure its survival through silence. Help us make this moment one that we can all be proud of.
