Black saa·luh·deh·ruh·tee. 

On the first Monday of this month, the day before Election Day, the Black Student Union observed Nov. 6 as Black Solidarity Day. 

Uhuru Sasa! we chant in our call to action, wanting our Black culture to be respected as a culture, but often feeling invisible on a campus where we are the minority . . . again. 

“Is there some sort of walk out today?” says a fellow bystander. Blindness is a privilege. In any realistic world, the answer provided to said bystander would be one along the lines of a direct question of their reasoning for not knowing what Black Solidarity Day is, and some may even become offended by the general question at hand. Whose job is it to educate the miseducated? Are we at a point where it is becoming tiring to continue to educate everyone on the things important to us? 

As we observe the day, honoring Carlos E. Russell for providing Black communities with a day to acknowledge, reflect upon and revisit political stances, we reflect upon those same stances across campus. 

As we try to identify our allies, we often find ourselves stuck, wondering why we are limited to a Black faculty we can count on one hand. We find ourselves questioning why these Black faculty members do not receive the same amount of support as other faculty or students. We raise these questions often infuriated, ready to rally but remembering the spaces we occupy are

ones we often do not feel comfortable enough in to express our anger without being portrayed as an aggressor. 

Is our campus truly in support of Black liberation or is DEI seen as a favor, as Ta-Nehisi Coates alluded to during his address in Waterman theater on Nov. 3? 

Black Solidarity Day emphasizes our freedom of expression, our freedom to address our political stances and our freedom to express our concerns when declaring the areas we are not supported. If the campus is truly in support of Black power and liberation, why are the spaces where these events take place only supported by the same faces? 

Are we supported in our boycotts on the economy for a 24-hour period, or is consumerism still more important than Black lives? When did Black lives stop mattering across campus? As the Black Student Union gathered outside of Sheldon Hall, questioning the removal of the Black Lives Matter sign, we questioned if we no longer had the support of the SUNY Oswego campus, when it comes to protecting our Black lives. 

As people of color, our job is to disturb and enlighten, acknowledging that we are in fact a target, but that does not mean we stop, nor is our work close to being done. So as we continue to honor Douglas E. Turner in our “Day of Absence,”continue to show up as yourselves, raising your “ghetto” voices, as we prepare to televise our revolution.

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