The Black Out/Jena Six
How far have we really come? The campus community is invited to an open discussion regarding the Jena six.
On Thursday, September 20th, the first of the Jena six to be convicted, Mychal Bell, will be facing a possible sentence of 22 years in prison. Mychal, along with five other black teenaged boys, was arrested and charged with attempted murder after a school fight that took place in the heat of a city-wide racial crisis in Jena, Louisiana.
In August of last year, Kenneth Purvis, a student of Jena High School, asked the principal if he was permitted to sit under a tree in the school's courtyard that had been reserved for whites. He was told he could sit wherever he wanted. The day following the conversation, three nooses adorned the tree known by students as the "white tree." The Black community of Jena took notice of the gesture and believed it to be a malicious attack, and racial tension in the town began to rumble. The principal suggested that the white students that hung the nooses be expelled, but the school board overruled; the students were permitted to remain in school and suffered no substantial punishment.
Following the episode concerning the "white tree," the community of Jena found themselves dealing with hushed racial issues that had been overlooked in the town for years. Through the fall and winter months, the tension fueled several race-related altercations. These altercations included a school fight that took place on December 4th in which Justin Barker, a white student at Jena High, claimed to be attacked by a small group of black students. During the fight, he suffered a concussion and minor bruising. He was treated at the local hospital and released, and was well enough to attend a school function that evening.
Six black students were held responsible for the fight, and to the astonishment of the Black community, the District Attorney, Reed Walters, upgraded the charges to attempted second degree murder. If convicted, each boy may face fifty years in prison.
We are encouraging all who can to go to Jena, Louisiana on September 20th to show support to the families. For those who cannot, we are asking that everyone across the nation wear black on Thursday, September 20th to let the legal system know we will not stand for this injustice.