The ultimate mission of Friends of Justice is to shift the climate of opinion in the direction of tolerance and equality under the law. This story from the Shreveport Times suggests that positive changes are beginning to emerge out of the messy tumult surrounding the Jena 6 saga.  “We don’t sweep things under the rug here,” a Louisiana University President declares.   After Jena, that is a wise policy.

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ULM president: Students to be exposed to more cultural sensitivity

October 4, 2007

By Chris Day
cday@thenewsstar.com

University of Louisiana at Monroe officials say students throughout the academic year will be exposed to more opportunities for a dialogue on cultural sensitivity.

ULM President James Cofer said various programs, speakers and focus groups are on the agenda as the university responds to a recent online video posting with racist footage that gained national attention after a ULM freshman posted it on Facebook.

“We don’t sweep things under rugs here,” Cofer said. “We need to learn on a whole number of levels from this experience.”

The online video was shot by pre-nursing freshman Kristy Smith and placed originally on her personal Facebook page, from which it circulated around the Web to sites including YouTube and The Smoking Gun.

In the video, Smith’s friends in swimsuits re-enact the December school fight in which six black Jena High School students left white student Justin Barker unconscious.

In the video, Smith’s female friend and two unidentified males cover themselves in dark mud on the beach. A third male runs onto the beach holding a noose in his hand, and the others pretend to kick and punch him amid abusive racial epithets.

University officials discovered the video on the Web on Monday morning. They responded with a Tuesday afternoon news conference and a Tuesday evening forum in Brown Theater for students to express their opinions.

Officials estimate more than 500 students were in attendance.

Media relations director Laura Harris verified Wednesday that while Smith videotaped her friends that day on the Red River in Alexandria, someone actually in the video footage is also a ULM student.

“Students make mistakes,” Cofer said. “I think this was a callous and irresponsible act “» that does not reflect the behavior of the other students on this campus.”

Cofer described the cultural insensitivity of the students involved, their underage drinking and the Web posting all as “problematic.”

“We will use this as a learning experience for all of the university students,” Cofer said. “Our students will not let this define them.”

Cofer said faculty members are encouraging class discussions within the framework of their academic disciplines.

“How does this fit within kinesiology? How does this fit within criminal justice?” Cofer said. “These discussions are taking place in our classes right now.”

Students agreed the Tuesday night forum was a good first step in encouraging a dialogue on racial issues.

Child development sophomore Angel Delandro, who saw the online video last weekend, said she went to the forum “to see what everyone else’s opinion was” after hearing about it from a friend.

“It was a good effort, but they could’ve had it in a bigger venue,” said Delandro, who is black. “It looked good for them to do it so soon, but it should’ve been put off a few days. It would’ve had a bigger impact if more people knew about it.”

To encourage as many students as possible to attend the forum, Wayne Brumfield, Student Affairs vice president, created a Facebook account to correspond with the Facebook groups established following the video’s posting.

Various athletic groups were told by their coaches to attend the forum.

ULM cheerleader Markeysha Wilson said she was told to attend.

“Not everyone’s true feelings were stated in that forum,” the finance sophomore said. “If someone there was racist, he or she wouldn’t have gotten up and said that. And you can’t punish a girl for what she believes.”

Nursing sophomore Jazmine Agee said that no matter what the university does from this point forward, “it’s not going to make any students wake up and say, ‘Hey, I’m not racist.’ Changing your beliefs — only the person can do that.”

“There’s not much the university can do,” music education sophomore Doug Bennett said. “It really had nothing to do with the school itself. The best the university could do is confront the students involved and ask for an apology.”

Kristy Smith claimed Tuesday that while she filmed her friends’ actions, she is not racist. She said she has as many black friends as white friends.

Smith would not return calls Wednesday.