Protesting False Moral Equivalence on Campus

Friends and Allies,

Information on the Protest

Please join BLSA & ACS on Thursday, January 12 in our protest condemning the event being hosted by the Federalist Society, Students for Historical Preservation, and the W&L College Republicans. Their event invites the student body to “consider how the principles and efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert E. Lee co-align and reverberated throughout the nation today.” The organizers of this event have elected to ignore the horrible irony in comparing two men who promoted opposing causes. This event co-opts Dr. King’s legacy of nonviolent protest for racial equality and is abhorrent.

We invite you, friends, and allies to join us in exercising your convictions against ignorance, whitewashing, and insensitivity.

Safety Precautions

Please do not block the entrance or exits to the University
Do not take signs inside the Chapel.
Only participate to the extent that you are comfortable
Public safety has been briefed and they will be present at the protest for our safety

Plan

      6:45pm Meet at the Law School in the Brief Stop to create signs

      7:05pm Walk over to the University Chapel

      7:15pm Protest w/ signs in front of University Chapel. Brief remarks

               Undergrads are welcome to join in front of the Lee Chapel at 7:15pm

      7:30pm Enter the Chapel for the silent protest. Sit together near the front.

          Stack signs outside

               Collectively stand and walkout when Rodeny Mimms Cook Jr. begins

               Please don’t block the exit

      ~8pm    Debrief dinner at Cafe 77

               Walk with our signs

Attire

All black, BLSA, BLM apparel, or something else with a positive message. We welcome you to wear this all day as a sign of solidarity.

Thank you,

BLSA & ACS Exec Boards

PS:

If you plan on joining us tonight, then thank you. Standing up for your convictions in what you believe in is just and it matters. I'd like to clarify that this event is to be a peaceful and solemn demonstration of opposition.

This event is upsetting. Any anger or pain you're feeling is justified. However, we cannot allow the organizers or supporters of this event the opportunity to play victim to an angry demonstration. To ensure our safety, and to minimize accusations of impropriety, please be respectful throughout our demonstration in our signs and conduct.

Instead of chanting, we invite you to raise your phone flashlights on our march to University Chapel, and outside the Chapel, as a symbol. A symbol that our protest shines a light on the hypocrisy of this event, and that we stand against the whitewashing of Robert E. Lee's legacy.