Racism not cured by ‘Kumbaya’

Dr. Jill Carr, Dean of Students at BGSU, speaks during a panel discussion about racism and social media on April 23, 2013 at Olscamp Hall in Bowling Green, Ohio. (Photos: Enoch Wu/Sentinel-Tribune)

Words have weight. And some, given the history behind them, can be crushing.
That’s why the racist tweets posted by some white Bowling Green State University students about some black students earlier this month have stirred up hurt, anger — and now action.
More than 300 BGSU students, faculty and community members gathered Tuesday evening to listen to a panel discussion on race, then make suggestions on where to go from here with the Not In Our Town campaign propelled by the recent racist tweets.
The panel discussed the history of hate speech, the dangers of social media, and the need for the entire community to adopt the Not In Our Town mantra.
While parents teach their children that “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me,” words can indeed hurt, said Dr. Dalton Jones, of the Department of Ethnic Studies. But hate speech goes beyond that.