Boulder Class Cancels Solidarity Rally After Black Students Object

Students in a class at the University of Colorado at Boulder gave up a planned rally to support protests of institutional racism at the University of Missouri after a black student group at Colorado spoke out against it, The Daily Camerareports. Members of the class “Whiteness Studies,” which examines racial inequality, were to hold the rally on Friday afternoon but canceled it when members of the Black Student Alliance complained about not being consulted.

Paris Ferribee, co-president of the Black Student Alliance, told the newspaper that the plan amounted to a “slap in the face.” She went on: “They used their white privilege and oppressed voices and stifled voices that are experiencing this every day.”

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Boulder Class Cancels Solidarity Rally After Black Students Object – The Ticker - Blogs - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Given how sensitive race issues are, it's easy to understand how rallies, events, whatever, become contentious with whether or not they are inclusive of multiple entities that claim to represent stakeholder input.
In this case, we have members of a class (entitled "Whiteness Studies" at the University of Colorado) create a solidarity rally in order to, as Kelsey Gonzalez (one of the students) stated in another article to, "do something to bring attention to the issues that we have on campus and to show support for students at Mizzou, who are receiving death threats."1 The class they are in is a sociology course which seeks to: "explore whiteness as a racial category that is centered and privileged in American society. Investigates the development of whiteness from past white supremacy, current colorblindness, to possible future multiculturalism. Analyzes the consequences of whiteness as a racial identity and a social structure." 2 This course is very much in the vein of black studies and race studies. All it does is turn the mirror directly in the direction of whiteness, while still maintaining the critical outlook on how racial privilege or supremacy is created and reinforced. While the racial demographics are not immediately known, suffice it to say it is not universally a caucasian-enrolled course.

Perris Ferribe, who is the co-President of the CU Black Student Alliance insinuated something rather revealing about what may have aided this micro-controversy in the most recent meta-discussion about race in the university campus. Ferribe, if The Daily Camera is accurate in its summary, said "she was upset the class did not consult her group or take into account the feelings and plans of African-American students on campus." 3

While it is entirely possible that the racial make-up of the students involved could potentially lead one to conclude that it was a subtle reminder of African Americans being discussed, but not allowed to be partners in creating change, it is also probable that this is something a bit more about the internal politics of civic associations. Ferribe, representing an organization, would certainly like to be involved in any discussion revolving around her stakeholder group. In fact, they are very involved. They have an action plan for the university to embrace and are seeking to promote the proposal. Gonzales and her other 24 peers in the course certainly erred on not reaching out to one of the university's important stakeholder organizations, but such a transgression should be forgiven rather than admonished. Furthermore, Ferribe, wishing to present herself and her organization in the most positive light is seemingly contradicting herself when she told the Daily Camera that, "Ferribee said the Black Student Alliance did not want to act irrationally and instead was formulating a detailed, thorough plan to present to CU administrators for ways they can make the Boulder campus more welcoming to people of color." If one wants to act "rationally," diplomatic, and focused on your plan Ferribe should have offered support of the rally even though their organization was not specifically involved and desire a "greater working relationship with those involved" or something to that effect. The organization is not going to be directly or indirectly involved in every social rally that may involve their stakeholder group. That is a basic part of advocacy work, which Ferribe and her probably like-minded compatriots need to learn to understand. What you do not do is say, "That's a slap in the face and that's practicing racism, whether they want to believe it or not." It is probably conflating organizational outreach with racism.

Footnotes would not fit in original post.

1. CU-Boulder students plan rally to protest racism, support Mizzou movement - Boulder Daily Camera
2. Whiteness Studies | University Catalog 2014-2015 | University of Colorado Boulder
3. CU-Boulder racism protest canceled after African-American students object - Boulder Daily Camera

It's Boulder. Pretty par for the course there.

The class should have told the black student group that they were trying to help in their way and to **** off if they don't like it. Cancelling the meeting just gives these groups that want to object more and more power and legitimacy. I almost feel like going to a university when I visit just so I can debate some of these ****ing idiotic children acting like spoiled brats.