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Campus News
The Clarion \ February 22, 2017
BC march against injustice
and for civil communication
By Florian Peyssonneaux
staff Writer
President’s Day was unique this year in Bre
vard College as students marched across campus
on Monday, Feb. 20. The SGA’s call to action
was answered by people who came on Monday
afternoon in mass to support the movement.
The protest, initiated by college students and
organized by the Student Government Asso
ciation started at the Bell tower where a large
crowd was gathered. Brevard students, faculty
members, community members and students
from other schools were present.
This event was an opportunity for people
across Western North Carolina to gather, and
peacefully express their opinion. The SGA
reached out to BC students, other schools in the
region, and in the community. Even though, the
BC students turnout was highly inferior to the
retirees, and elderly people who came in large
numbers, the attendance overall was high with
almost 200 people from various backgrounds
attending the event.
Ages from 3 to 90 years old, from Brevard
College and other schools, teachers and faculty
members, everybody had their own reasons to
come and defend their beliefs.
A few minutes after the 5 o’clock bell rang.
TAKE A STAND FOR YOURSELF, YOUB
FAMILY, YOUR OOMHUNITY & YOUR
PLAHET,
JOIN US PBESIDEHT‘5 DAY 2i'30
5 PMPTHF BELL TOWEB
IN THE ar MARCH
FOR Civil COMMLJMirATlOU
It AGAINST INJUSTICE IH DEHOCRACV.
CELEBRATE FREEDDH.
REHUKE DIVISIDM.
The flier promoting the march on the Brevard
College campus.
Brevard College students, faculty, staff, and community members, some carrying signs, continue toward
the Porter Center during their march against injustice and for civil communication.
SGA President Lauren Fowler started her speech
to explain the motives of this protest. The SGA’s
reason for the march was to prove that “we are
a student body of passion and action,” Fowler
said. “Action is our only option.”
Fowler’s speech was well received by the
large audience, interrupted on multiple occa
sions with applause. “We march today to bring
to this dark divide hopes that we will one day
learn to stand together. We all hope and fight for
a better tomorrow for ourselves, our families,
and our communities,” Fowler said. “We have
a choice—we can continue to accept division
as if it is normal, or we can stand up and fight
back in unity.”
Fowler then turned the podium over to Brevard
College President David Joyce, who started by
acknowledging the fact that this protest was
more than a social meeting. “This whole gather
ing was the idea of BC students,” Joyce said.
After mentioning that the presidential cam
paign had been very “uncivil,” Joyce read the
open letter addressed to President-elect Trump
that he signed in November. In reaction to the
letter, Joyce mentioned that of the 140 colleges
and universities in North Carolina, presidents of
fewer than 10 had signed it. This fact empha
sized the importance of gatherings such as this
march, he said.
The mission of the SGA for this event states
that “this is a call to action to the community of
Brevard College to stand together to show our
town, our families, and our country that we will
not stand for anything less than compassion and
love. By standing in kindness, we put to action
our motto ‘Cognosce ut prosis. Learn in Order to
Serve’ and show that we are not just bystanders
in times of injustice.”
Following Joyce, SGA Vice President Molly
Riddle spoke to address the issues of the Dakota
Access Pipeline, and the risk of pollution if the
pipeline were to break near sources of water.
Riddle also invited the audience to sign the two
petitions against Wells Fargo and the Military
Corps.
“Standing up for injustices is important, even
See 'BC community march,' page 3