BSO

The Black Students' Organization directly challenged Columbia College Student Council's handling of issues of race and diversity at the council's general body meeting on Sunday.

There was a last-minute addition to Thursday night's lineup—a performance of "Strange Fruit," an early 20th-century protest song about lynchings in the American South, by the Black Students' Organization, Students Against Mass Incarceration, and other organizations.

With the fourth execution date of Georgia prisoner Troy Davis looming, members of the Black Students Organization are continuing to speak out for his clemency—and they are not alone. Eleven BSO students protested in Times Square last Friday, sporting "I am Troy Davis" T-shirts and listening to former inmates speak out against the American prison system. In 1991, Davis was convicted of murdering a Savannah, Ga. police officer, Mark MacPhail, in the parking lot of a Burger King. Back in 2007, Davis was granted clemency before his first execution date, and just two hours before the third execution was planned, the United States Supreme Court cut in. At issue is whether the evidence presented by the prosecution is still valid, after multiple eyewitnesses have come forward to change their previous testimony. But now Davis is once again waiting for execution, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 21. On Monday, Georgia's Board of Pardons—the only group that can delay an execution in that state—instead delayed their own decision. Members of the BSO are hoping that he'll escape death this time too. BSO president Ganiatu Afolabi said she is primarily concerned with the legitimacy of his conviction. "We strongly believe he needs to have another case, considering that the whole case was based on witness testimony," Afolabi said. Though some members of the BSO are focused on the racial undertones of the case, Afolabi said that is not the reason to pay attention. "It's a human rights issue," she said, explaining that the BSO has a new activism group focused on human rights. Right now, that group is working on prison reform. "At the end of the day, human rights has no color, has no ethnicity. If something happens in Harlem we want to respond to that but if something happened in Palestine we want to look at that too," she said. BSO students will be wearing "I am Troy Davis" this week to spread awareness. As Davis' time runs out, Afolabi said she is checking the news every day. "I'm very patriotic, but I expect more. I expect the right thing to happen." news@columbiapspectator.com

While the presidency of Columbia alumnus Barack Obama, CC '83, represents a significant milestone for the country and the black community, it will not be a focus of Black Heritage Month at Columbia or the initiatives of black student groups. break Black student groups on campus will come together to celebrate the annual Black Heritage Month, which celebrates the rich history and culture of the black Diaspora through events and facilitated discussions. Overseen by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, BHM will feature a fashion show, semi-formal, talent show, panel discussions and art shows. But rather than celebrating Obama's achievements during this month, black student groups will look beyond his presidency. They will focus instead on joining students of all ethnicities in celebration. "While we will celebrate his election, it doesn't really change anything," Robyn Burgess, CC '10, Columbia College Student Council vice president of campus life and campus liaison to the Black Students Organization, said. This year, the theme of Black Heritage Month at Columbia, "The Plurality of One," is a testament to the planning committee's hope that students from all backgrounds will participate in the events. "Black Heritage Month isn't just for black Americans," Burgess said. In fact, a variety of student groups have collaborated on the organization of some of this month's events. Columbia Queer Alliance teamed up with the BHM planning committee to organize the First Friday Dance, which will take place Feb. 6 in the Lerner Hall party space. "One of the things we strive to acknowledge in CQA is we're not just LGBT people," Zachary Lundin, CC '11 and CQA communications director, said. "We're all about acknowledging ... that people come from all different ethnic groups and identities." In recent meetings, members of CQA have discussed the importance of attending BHM events and being allies to all student groups. And this attitude is exactly what the BHM committee hopes will dictate the tone of the month. In this spirit of representing multiple perspectives in Black Heritage Month, a CCSC resolution to honor it was tabled. This Sunday, the resolution, authored by Burgess, CCSC President George Krebs, Vice President of Policy Adil Ahmed, and others, called for an official mandate that the Council advertise BHM events and support the month publicly. The resolution came to a standstill when CCSC members argued that such a resolution would create need for further resolutions to officially recognize months honoring other ethnic groups or causes. Instead, CCSC plans to pass an over-arching resolution to honor heritage months at large, and to supplement that with specifics as needs arise. "It would be great to use this month as a springboard," Burgess said. "It's really important that we continue to desegregate our minds and diversify our campus." Others echoed Burgess' sentiments. "It's important to support each other by going to events," Angelica Duron, CC '12 and Chicano Caucus publications chair, said. "Part of having [multicultural] groups like this on campus is to show other people your culture." "Our BSO meetings are nothing if there's no one there to challenge our opinions," Burgess said. "If you study it [certain cultures] in class and are interested, ... why not come to an event?"

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s declaration that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" served as the catchphrase of yesterday's campus walkout protesting incidents of racial injustice, both nationally and at Columbia.