Richard Spencer left Gainesville yesterday frustrated and defeated. The UF and Gainesville community successfully came together for a greater cause, and we unanimously denied hate speech in our community. #TogetherUF was the movement and unity was our cause.
If you took the time to watch the #TogetherUF Virtual Assembly, you might have recognized me in the couch conversations. You may have also noticed my Vice President, Cassie Bell, leading the conversation in that video. You may have noticed WSA's involvement in #TogetherUF. My team worked hard, and I am happy to have collaborated with so many amazing leaders in creating this movement. We made a difference in our community and got students to be involved in the discourse.
So why don’t I feel the urge to rejoice? Honestly, because the fight is not even close to over yet.
I can't deny my frustration with some people who participated in the #TogetherUF movement. Of course, we encourage EVERYONE to be a part of this movement. That's literally the point. However, I can't help but feel some sense of resentment toward the people who used the hashtag #TogetherUF, shared and liked my posts, or congratulated me that were also some of the people who actively supported Trump in the 2016 election. These are the same people who shared articles opposing the Women's March after Trump's inauguration, which arguably conveyed the same message as #TogetherUF. These are the same people who supported the presidency that has been the vehicle for white supremacists to feel they have a platform and followers.
These are also the same people who have denied NFL players the right to protest systematic discrimination, expressed disinterest in the Black Lives Matter movement, AND stood behind Trump after his comments about Neo-Nazis being "fine people”. These are the same people who were quiet when Trump announced that transgender people will no longer be allowed to join the army. These were the same people who were quiet when Trump ended DACA, which affects their fellow students here at UF. These are the same people who participated in or were bystanders to those shouting, "Build a wall!" "Make America Great Again!" and "Lock her up!" at the bar I went to on election night. These are all statements of blatant sexism and racism, by the way.
As I appreciate those who want to be a part of the movement, then BE A PART OF THE MOVEMENT. Deny all kinds of hate speech, even the hate speech the President of the United States participates in. Protesting NFL players are "sons of b*tches" but Neo-Nazis are "fine people?" C'mon.
Also, has anyone noticed that Richard Spencer coming to college campuses has gained national attention and our President hasn't come out to condemn it? Again: c'mon.
While I already got lost in the dark hole of politics in this post, I don't want this to be all about politics. What I really wanted to talk about is what’s left in the community for us to do and why it's so important for us to continue to fight.
Instead of sharing my own words on this, I really want to share someone else's because I don't think I can say it any better. Caroline Sessions, I would like to thank you for sharing this. This is so important and inspired me to expand on your thoughts.
This is what we all need to remember:
"Every. Single. Day. hate and ignorance abound at the University of Florida. Oppression exists at our fingertips. It exists as the foundation under our feet. We, white people, thrive in the oppression of black students and faculty at UF. And the worst part, is that we ignore it because we aren’t offended by the structural racism in the same way we’re offended by Nazis.
The African American Studies Program at UF has tried for over 10 years to get departmental status and every time is denied while programs with fewer students and less robust curriculum are handed that designation. In the last two years, nooses have been found in classrooms of black professors, the African American Studies Program sign has been forcibly ripped from the ground multiple times, and distinguished black faculty have been cornered in their office by hate slinging racists. Where was the unity then?
When the Hispanic and black communities at UF asked for separate buildings on campus to honor their community’s unique identities and perspectives, white people (even you “woke” people) called them entitled and stupid. When communities at UF defend the right of black athletes to stage peaceful, silent protests during the national anthem, you call them unpatriotic. When black leaders on campus are honored with awards and designations, you blame it on the color of their skin and not on their talent. You don’t notice that the black student population at UF is dwindling. You don’t notice that you may be part of the problem, but you likely are.
I respect that you want to unite today. I respect that you want love to prevail today. I believe that you want to love on the people oppressed by hundreds of years of racism today. But what are you going to do tomorrow? Are you going to sit behind your computer and tell your white friends how sad this makes you? Or are you going to challenge your deepest, ugliest, most protected sense of privilege and superiority and say to yourself “how can I personally destroy oppression and racism in my life today?” If you aren’t willing to do that, then no matter how hard you tweet about togetherness, you will continue to serve a society that endorses men like Richard Spencer."
This is a plea from privileged white women to other privileged white men and women. You have a voice and a platform. If you want to stand with #TogetherUF, then really stand with it. Try to make a difference. Learn about differences. Rejoice in differences. Sexism, racism, and homophobia have no place in our country and especially in our Gainesville community. Do not forget this when this all blows over. Don’t become complicit in your privilege. Just remember, it is only the people who are actively seeking to work against these -isms that can really set themselves apart from Richard Spencer.