Campus Climate Dialogue Continues

On Friday, Oct. 31, Lynda Ikejimba '09 announced that she was responsible for the racist TrinTalk.com post that incited a series of events, including last week's student-initiated rally, "Stand in Solidarity," which received coverage in The Hartford Courant.

"I am the person responsible for the outrageous, despicably racist post published on the TrinTalk website," wrote Ikejimba in a campus-wide apology email. "And I am a black woman. I am writing to apologize to all of you for what I have caused."

Explaining that she had hoped to set up a social experiment mirroring the satire of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, Ikejimba said, "In my experience at Trinity, race relations have not been optimal. Those who have been here long enough can recall the incidents that stand out the most, but often there are more minor unreported events that ultimately shape our time here.

"Over time, significant efforts have been made to reshape the culture for the better, with the establishment of the Campus Climate Committee, and a surge in the number of accepted minorities, to name two examples. In my mind, the metamorphosis begged the question of how students feel about Trinity finally shedding some of its legacy [.]For this reason I wrote in the TrinTalk forum, under the guise of someone very resistant to the transformation [.] These ideas notwithstanding, I realize now that what I did was incredibly stupid and wrong, and far from the shadow of any resemblance of literary work, the idea was ill-conceived and its execution was horrendous."

Ikejimba ended with, "I asked whether the remake of the face of our school was genuine, and the answer was a resounding 'yes', but I deeply regret that the answer came at the expense of your dignity. I am very ashamed of the pain I have caused the students, faculty, staff, and administration, and I hope this apology brings some sense of relief."

Building on the success of last week's rally, students called for weekly forums on racism where people could come together in a safe environment and discuss their feelings on a week-by-week basis. With only a very small percentage of the student body in attendance at both the protest and the meeting, many students saw the importance of eradicating apathy.

One plan, suggested by HOPE (Hip-Hop Organizers of Progressive Education), called upon every Trinity student to donate a small amount of money towards a scholarship offered to one Hartford resident yearly. Though admitting one scholarship would not end racism, members of HOPE believe it will show the world that Trinity is ready and willing to change their campus.

Attention was drawn to the established program of students engaging in a series of discussions of race for .25 credits.

Student speakers are the meeting acknowledged the pain often caused by everyday "jokes" and advocated the importance of "standing up for one another.and against one another."

[Editor's Note: Rebecca Brown contributed to this article.]