I was a junior underclassmen at Denison University when this happened. I saw the Halloween posters and didn't think much of it, really, before a couple of the clubs protested them and the original posters took them down. We all thought that would be the end of it, before the letter under LeForce's door. He was a sweet guy and helped me out a lot as a Student Council liaison when I was a brand new club officer with no clue as to what I was doing. I couldn't see anyone sending him hate mail… and neither could anyone else. It sparked a series of rallies, protests, and talks. I remember the large all-day rally that was supposed to last something like four hours and ended up lasting over twelve. Students would leave the rally for a bit to go to class and then come back in when they were done. I remember several of my professors canceling classes so that we could attend the talks held out on the commons.
These rallies were one of those things we all thought would simply stay on campus. Then the community leaders began to get involved and we expanded that out to Granville. When the Columbus Dispatch and other reporters began to show up we began to get the sense that maybe this thing was bigger than any of us thought, and so we kept talking. There were many changes made to campus because of these rallies. The administrative board for the campus opened their doors up for discussion more than I had seen since I started there. The students were closer and the few small groups that promoted hate and chaos went really quiet.
It all reminds me of the movement that we're having today with Ferguson, Eric Garner, and many more. I wondered how Denison was reacting to all of it when I found this video. My alma mater is a small campus of around two thousand students, and yet they are continuing the conversation that started back in 2007. It just goes to support that thought of concentric circles, and that small towns and local histories can reflect larger, national issues.
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