By Anir Senyah
The New Citizens Press
In the last edition, Iva E. Anthony our New York correspondent wrote about how nooses are showing up all over the country and Michigan is no exception.
By Anir Senyah
The New Citizens Press
LANSING, MI — Michigan Department of Civil Rights Director Linda V. Parker recently released the following statement in light of news of four nooses being hung on the campus of Central Michigan University (CMU). The nooses appear to be part of an alarming trend in the occurrence of hate symbols in Michigan.
Parker said that she was most disturbed to hear that four nooses were hung in a college classroom right here in Michigan.
CMU’s campus has approximately 19,800 on-campus students. The school is located in Mount Pleasant near the center of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the city is a community of approximately 25,000 permanent residents.
On Monday, November 12, 2007 the nooses, which were reported to police but announced on Wednesday, November 14, 2007. Parker said the appearances of nooses on CMU’s campus face Michigan with an undeniably clear symbol of racial intolerance to the absolute extreme. She added that throughout far too much of American history nooses have symbolized the threat of death, primarily to Blacks but also to any others who dare to be different.
Stan Dinius, CMU police chief, says a student in the Engineering and Technology Building found the nooses on November 12, 2007. The nooses were made from flexible compressed gas lines that are used for laboratory work.
CMU police say a suspect has come forth admitting responsibility for the nooses found in the classroom. The suspect, identified as a male CMU student, called police on the morning of Saturday, November 17, 2007 and confessed to his role in the incident.
Police Chief Stan Dinius says his department is completing its investigation and will forward the information to the Isabella County Prosecutor’s office early next week for review.
The university welcomed the FBI to assist in the investigation and offered a $5,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
Parker said, “While we trust that local law enforcement and the university have begun the relevant investigations, we urge the public to speak out against even the perception of hate. The perception of hate, especially when it is expressed through powerful symbols such as nooses, can cause very real tensions and fear in those who see themselves as potential targets of bias activity. It is critical that all Michigan, and the university community in particular, stand together as one in denouncing all such hateful symbols.
We will stand firm against any expression of hate, and in defense of the safety of and respect for all of the people of Michigan. As CMU continues to investigate and bring comfort and a sense of security to its students following this atrocious act, I extend the services of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and the various partners that make
up the Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crime.”
In other CMU news, The Office for Institutional Diversity at Central Michigan University has received a record 31 nominations for the President’s Diversity Excellence Award, representing 26 nominees.
The annual President’s Diversity Excellence Award was established by CMU President Michael Rao to honor members of the community who have made exceptional contributions toward achieving CMU’s diversity goals.
To be considered for the awards, nominees must exemplify one or more of the following goals of the Strategic Plan for Achieving Diversity at CMU:
• Create a community that values diversity both at CMU and the Mt. Pleasant community;
• Support the administrative and organizational structure to coordinate and monitor campus climate progress;
• Recruit, hire, retain, and promote faculty and staff who will enhance diversity across all levels and areas of the university;
• Recruit and retain students from a diversity of backgrounds, especially those from under-represented groups;
• Provide professional development activities that assist all personnel in the understanding of their own and other cultures; and
• Infuse diversity into the curriculum and promote pedagogical strategies that encourage student involvement and facilitate respect for diverse perspectives.
