UT holds gathering against racism before white nationalist talk
KNOXVILLE — On a sunny Friday afternoon, crowds of students, faculty and staff stood in line around the Rock waiting to dip their hands in paint and plaster the boulder with colorful hand prints.
The message they were sending was one of unity and respect and it stood in contrast to other messages that have appeared on the Rock, a campus message board, lately.
The United at the Rock Against Racism event kicked off a week’s worth of efforts to counter a planned talk by the Traditionalist Worker Party, a white nationalist group, on campus on Feb. 17.
The group is responsible for a swastika and messages like “white pride” that have been appearing on the Rock in recent weeks.
The messages have prompted outrage and while the university is obligated to adhere to the principles of free speech, administrators have also encouraged the campus to counter the messages with sentiments of acceptance and inclusion.
So on Friday, that’s exactly what they did.
“People have been asking me why we’re here today and I could have said we’re here so I can tell you how despicable the views are of white supremacists and other groups whose views we don’t hold, but that’s not really why I wanted to come here,” said Chancellor Beverly Davenport.
“I wanted to come today to make it clear to the campus and to you all our views about peace, our views about acceptance. That’s what I want to celebrate. I want to turn the conversation to who we are and away from who they are.”
TWP is planning to bring its co-founder, Matthew Heimbach, to campus for an event at Buehler Hall on Feb. 17.
The talk was originally booked at the McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture, one of a few spaces on campus that UT opens up to the public for rent, but was moved this week due to safety concerns.
Both Davenport and UT President Joe DiPietro condemned racism and extremist activity in statements this week, and events are planned throughout next week to counter the event.
They include a free speech panel that will be held Tuesday and a presentation Thursday by the outreach director of the Southern Poverty Law Center to discuss TWP, its tactics, and ways communities can stand against hate groups.
“I think it’s exceedingly important that we let this town, this campus, this state know what we stand Members of the UT community listen to Chancellor Beverly Davenport speak during a gathering on Friday against recent racist messages painted on The Rock.
for,” Davenport said. ” A lot of people have wanted to talk about what the group that’s coming stands for. I want people to know what we stand for.”
Hosted by the UTK Campus Ministry Council with support from the Student Government Association and the Faculty Senate, the event drew more than 350 people on a Friday afternoon.
“We wanted to come together as a way to take a stance against racism and show that everybody is welcome and valued in our community,” said Britton Sharp, president of the Campus Ministry Council.
“So many times people shout out words of hate trying to start little fires. This is our attempt to throw buckets on that and say, ‘No that’s not who we are.’”
Jaime Marquis, president of UTK Hillel, a Jewish student organization, said she has had a “hectic week” after news broke of the TWP’s planned speech on campus and she heard from concerned parents and prospective students.
“I think it’s important to plan these types of events to let them know what we’re doing in response and that everyone is safe,” she said. “I think, like the chancellor said, we need to focus on our beliefs rather than disputing their beliefs and emphasize our own morals and values.”
After plastering the rock with hundreds of colorful hand prints, the group lit candles and sang a song, “Draw the Circle Wide,” about inclusion and embracing others.
“I felt it was really important to be here because we are exercising our right to protest and freedom of speech, just like these white supremacists are,” said Raven Bailey, a junior. “I think it’s really, really important to show solidarity in these times and just show we are totally against what’s going on. We are here to support diversity and be a voice for everybody.”