African-American students go ‘Back-to-Black’

VCU’s African-American students march in a demonstration for Afro-American consciousness.

Demonstrators, dressed in all black, marched from the Cathedral of Sacred Heart through the university commons chanting “Back-to-Black.” They formed in the Commons Plaza where they began with a moment of silence and tribute to the late Rosa Parks.

The students chose Dec.1 as the day to demonstrate because it marks the 50th anniversary of the late Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, which began the Montgomery bus boycott.

“Rosa Parks took this stand, not just because she was physically tired, but because she was tired of the social injustices placed on African-Americans,” said Taryn Laster, the president of the Back-to-Black movement. “The mission of Back-to-Black and this demonstration is to increase public awareness of the injustices that continue to perpetuate throughout our society.”

This was was the second speak-out Back-to-Black had since the “Still Enslaved” debate they co-sponsored with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

Brandes Ash, an executive board member of Back-to-Black, said her African-American Studies 103 class came up with the idea of going beyond being mad about something to actually doing something.

While the demonstrators marched they held up posters that said “Back-to-Black” and “Be Black or Die.” Some of the posters were in the colors of green, black and red.

“Green represents the land, red represents the blood of our people, and black represents the color of our skin,” said Morris Henderson, the faculty adviser to Back-to-Black and professor of African-American studies.

Stephanie Kinard, a criminal justice major and demonstrator, said many observers misunderstood the “Be Black or Die” posters. She said they weren’t saying that people have to be black or they will die, but black people need to know who they are, where they come from and what their past is.

“Your past is doomed to repeat itself,” Kinard said. “If you know your past and where you came from, then you know where you’re going.”

During the demonstration, Tayrn Laster read a list of 10 black “demandments” for the government and 10 black “demandments” for African-Americans that Back-to-Black and participating students developed.

According to information in the program passed out during the demonstration, two of the “demandments” from the government was an apology from President Bush for the horrors of slavery and permanent enactment and enforcement of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.

Some of the “demandments” for African-Americans were to take full advantage of educational opportunities, to put an end to self-destructiveness and to learn to accept other races, cultures and creeds.

“These are some of the things black people need to increase their awareness and to let society know that we are not happy with things that have occurred on campus,” Ash said. “We’re working to promote the betterment of our race.”

Kinard said the event was a peaceful and non-violent demonstration. “We let people know that we have a voice and we can come together to be punctually renowned.”

Ash said she hopes the demonstration will be a reminder of change and that it won’t happen until individual people come together with a common goal.

The Back-to-Black demonstration concluded with an announcement of coming events and with demonstrators singing along with Brandes Ash to “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”