This week on Race Capitol, co-host Chelsea Higgs Wise interviewed four members of the UR Black Student Coalition Coordinating Committee who are organizing the UR disaffiliation starting tomorrow, March 25, 2021 @protectourweb. Thank you to Shira Greer, Jesse Amankwaah, Jordyn Lofton, and Simone Reid who share what it is like to be a Black student on the campus of University of Richmond and why this activism is necessary for the quality of education of future Black students attending UR.
The demands are:
1) We demand the names of Ryland Hall and Mitchell-Freeman Hall be changed, specifically, removing the names of Robert Ryland and Douglas Southall Freeman from these buildings.
2) We demand expanded academic accommodations for all students in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
3) We demand the University subsidize off-campus mental health services for Black students due to the underdevelopment and understaffing of Counseling and Psychological Services.
So far the university has made some steps, but took the most egregious step no one asked for by attaching John Mithell Jr.’s name beside the name of the enslaver. Refusing to keep up with what universities are doing across the nation and commonwealth was the last straw for Black UR students, but you have to tune in to truly grasp the what our young leaders are working through on top of surviving a pandemic.
Email protectourweb@gmail.com for more and be sure to subscribe to Race Capitol wherever you listen to podcast and become a month patreon donor.