The Eliminate the Hate campaign began Monday at 12 p.m. with a Flash Slam on the steps of Old Cabell Hall. Student performers were invited to share their experiences of dealing with hate speech and bias.
The Eliminate the Hate campaign was organized by a coalition of student organizations after several incidents of hate speech at the University were reported. These incidents included anti-Semitic graffiti at GrandMarc, anti-Muslim vandalism at Brown College and racist markings in the Kent-Dabney Dorm Association.
The Order — a secret society dedicated to upholding the ideals of the “Harry Potter” series — wrote a letter to the University community and posted it around Grounds. They credit the campaign with leading “the charge to call for a cultural shift at the University.”
“We applaud these efforts and encourage those involved to continue such grassroots mobilization,” the letter read. “All students should attend these events, but doing so is only a start; we exhort everyone to learn to become allies to their neighbors.”
An audience of about 50 students and faculty sat on the steps of Old Cabell Hall to listen to poems and monologues performed by students for an hour and a half. Emmanuel Vega, a fourth-year Batten student who helped organize the event, introduced each speaker. Some speakers signed up to perform in advance, while others decided to perform while at the event.
“We reached out to different groups, like Flux, and then we reached out to our own friends, networks and listservs,” Vega said. “We also had open mics where people were here, they just showed up and presented.”
The campaign began planning the Flash Slam over a week ago. After multicultural student organizations met in the beginning of November, the groups split into committees to plan different events. Each committee had about a week to plan.
Minority Rights Coalition Chair Attiya Latif, a third-year College student, said the purpose of the Flash Slam was to share experiences of hate speech with the University community.
“It was a way to personalize the experiences that we often hear about, so people have the opportunity to share what’s happened to them and how it’s made them feel so that other people can learn,” she said.
Vega organized the Flash Slam to provide an opportunity for students to express concerns in addition to their experiences.
“It’s giving a space to students to share their experiences dealing with hate speech and bigotry and how that’s made them feel, and give a productive way to channel their emotions,” Vega said.
The Eliminate the Hate campaign will continue hosting events every day this week.
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