UPDATE: Two anonymous sources provided The Oswegonian with documentation that the Office of Student Conduct exonerated the student accused of yelling hate speech at the ALANA Peace Walk in September. A source relayed that the university collected accounts from five faculty/staff members and five students, all present at the march. The five faculty/staff members testified that the student did not say the word “Blacks” during the incident; the five students testified that he did. According to a letter from the university sent to the student, the university will not refer the student to a formal hearing process nor take any actions on the initial charges of violating the code of conduct. The sources of this information asked for anonymity to protect the status of a faculty member involved in the investigation. The Oswegonian has reached out to the accused student, Black Student Union and the Office of Student Conduct for comment on this information.

Amid the positive atmosphere of cars honking in support of the Peace Walk on Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace, a motorist slowed next to a group of marching students and uttered words that sparked confusion.

“F*** all of y’all, f*** all y’all Blacks and f*** your flags, put them down,” the driver yelled. The driver proceeded to tell marchers they should go home and drove off. 

Aliyah Wright, president of the Black Student Union (BSU), spoke to marchers after the incident about what had happened and how important it was to let their voices be heard.

Anneke McEvoy, the Deputy Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, thanked the students for gracefully handling the situation that took place. McEvoy said the situation was under investigation and that anyone with any information could come speak to her.

The march, organized by the BSU and the ALANA (African, Latino, Asian, Native American) Planning Committee, concluded the ALANA Multicultural Leadership Conference. Students and faculty marched from the city hall to the campus bus loop, where the incident occurred.

“ALANA is meant to provide a sense of belonging on campus for multicultural students and educate the student body about our culture and on things that are and are not appropriate,” Aiden Wilson, president of the Student Association, said. “It is part of my job to not only manage the funds to support the program financially, but to  be an ally and help them to achieve their goals.”

The upcoming election in November put the march in a political context. Several students chanted for the SUNY system to divest from Israel in response to the government’s violence against Palestinians in Gaza.

Students chanted “Black lives matter,” and in a move of intersectionality added Hispanic lives; Asian lives; transgender lives; gay lives; the lives of people in Palestine, Haiti, Sudan and the Congo; and finally, “Your vote matters.”

Marchers also shouted the names of unarmed Black Americans killed by police, such as Sonya Massey, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

Wright invoked the name of Javion Magee, a 21-year-old Black man who was found hanging under a tree in North Carolina, as an example of racist atrocities existing in America today.

“ALANA to me means family and unity, a place where students can feel safe and seen.” Danilza Martinez, graduate adviser of the Latino Student Union, said. “As a woman of color pursuing higher education, it is very important for me to be a part of every event ALANA hosts to advocate for students that look like me and have yet not found their voice.”

“The ALANA conference has shown through unity that Black culture can stand along multicultural communities,” Sarah Dormé, president of the Association of Black Psychologists, said, “while being in the same room where conversations are made to happen with one another, by one another.”

Some students viewed the march as a way to speak on topics they consider unrecognized.

“I think it’s important to talk about the things that aren’t highlighted in our day-to-day lives and classes,” Maria Fall, a marcher, said. “Being a political science minor I get to talk about it a bit, but not everyone has that opportunity.”

“I showed up because it is important that we as students come together to express what needs to change and let our voices be heard,” Samantha Mondesire, president of Fashion at Oswego, said.

Photo by Brandon Trinidad