Black Lives Matter, a topic at the weekly OzSpeaks event, was open to campus citizens in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom on Sept. 15.

Black Lives Matter is a national organization working for the validity of black lives. The movement is a call to action and a response to black people being killed in the United States.

Held in the ballroom beneath the crystal chandeliers, seats were filled with eager individuals- students, faculty and other Oswego State professionals.  They gathered to hear and validate the value and experiences of those in attendance. These experiences were called “truths.”

Dean of Students Jerri Howland opened the event with a warm welcome followed by the principles of participation.

“We can’t always understand why some people look at the world through different lenses than we do,” Howland said. “But it does not diminish our human need to be heard, to be listened to and to be cared for.”

Howland emphasized that the OzSpeaks event should be constructive.

“Speak-outs are not debates, educational workshops, intellectual discussions or opportunities to lay blame or perpetuate hate,” Howland wrote to the OzSpeaks 2016 news.

The event was an open forum with two microphones placed just off center stage, directly in front of the audience, reinforcing the message of equality. Audience members were invited to line-up behind the microphones to share personal truths.

When finished, the speaker would snap two times and the audience would respond with two snaps back. This confirmed the speaker had been heard and their thoughts validated. Listening followed by validation was a prominent and recurring theme throughout the evening.

Purposefully, one-by-one, people stepped up to a microphone to express whatever was on their minds and in their hearts. Through spoken word, melodies, poetry and tears, the effects of America’s justice system were revealed and shared.

“The Black Lives Matter movement is so important because people too often like to ignore the issues they themselves don’t face on a daily basis,” student Kristen Ray said. “This movement is bringing awareness to those people to say that this is your society you’re apart of it and these issues won’t stay in the shadows forever.”

One student took to the microphone to express that yes, all lives matter and yes, blue (police) lives matter, but black lives haven’t been valued equally and it is time for that to be acknowledged. The issue is not between black and white individuals, but rather the justice system and those suffering from it on a daily basis, the student said.

“The term ‘black lives matter’… it’s crucial to understand that for decades, black lives haven’t mattered outside of their own people,” said executive assistant to President Deborah Stanley Howard Gordon.

By the end of the event there was a visible sense of community as people rose from their seats to give hugs to those around them. For more than 20 minutes after the last speaker, attendees were still commending one another for their bravery to speak.

“The overarching message tonight was of unity and oneness. Everybody has to work together, by being unified we will all be able to move forward,” Ray said.

Ray said she believes students can find healing through these events.

“I remember over the summer I felt alone and like I had nobody I could talk to,” Ray said. “Thats why events like this are so important. Being able to communicate these feelings with other people is important to the recovery process.”

“We were here and we were able to have this conversation,” said vice president for student affairs Jerald Jones Woolfolk said. “There were a lot of allies in the room tonight.”

The next OzSpeaks will cover Blue Lives Matter on Oct. 4.