On Jan. 30 at noon, students, faculty and staff came together in the Alvin Sherman Library Quad to tear down the Wall of Hate — a cinderblock wall that students covered with ethnic slurs and demeaning language — in a celebration of diversity and acceptance.
The event also marked the end of Unity Week, a week of events sponsored by the Caribbean Student Association (CSA) and the Office of Student Activities for students to explore the importance of tolerance and diversity.
Student Events and Activities Board Entertainment Chair and CSA Public Relations Officer Danielle McCalla, junior communication studies major, said she believes the message of the wall teardown was well received by the NSU community.
“We are uplifting diversity,” McCalla said. “We are uplifting the unique features of everyone and we are diminishing those stereotypes or those hateful words that we sometimes find ourselves using ,whether consciously or unconsciously. We’re trying to bring awareness to these things in an effort to stop them and start conversation about them so that we’re more aware of what we’re saying and doing.”
CSA Vice President and SEA Board’s SEA Thursday Chair Tiffany Simmons, junior marketing major, hosted the event, welcoming the students to the celebration and introducing students who performed.
DeAndra Simmons, junior communication studies major, recited a poem she wrote called “Stop the Hate.” After each stanza, she pointed to the audience, prompting them to yell, “Stop the hate.”
She said the poem was inspired by seeing students write demeaning words on the wall’s cinderblocks and realizing that some were writing words they had heard, while others were writing what they had been called themselves.
“The main message [of the poem] is that a lot of times people who are spitting out these hate words are the very ones who think these things about themselves,” she said.
Freshman dance major Alonzo Williams also recited an original poem called “Fins-Up,” which encouraged students to focus on unity. Williams said he hopes his poem inspired students to take the initiative to be willing to speak to others and to not be afraid to help somebody.
“Words have power,” Williams said, “So I believe that if someone is willing to speak or willing to hear, sometimes all you have to do is say a few words and somebody will take action to do what’s right and do what’s good.”
The Sharkettes and other student groups performed as well. The CSA dance team had sheets of paper with demeaning words on them taped to their shirts. During their dance, they ripped off the sheets of paper. The Riff Tides, NSU’s acapella group, sang Sara Bareilles’ “King of Anything.” The Indian Student Association’s dance team, Shark Bhangra, performed a choreographed dance.
Indian Student Association Treasurer Sahib Singh, junior accounting major, said the group liked the event’s theme of diversity because many Indians have faced discrimination. Singh said the group’s dance fit the event’s message as well; they danced bhangra, a style that originated in the western part of India, where many people practice Sikhism.
“[Sikhs] wear a turban as part of our religious beliefs. Because of 9/11, people mistakenly think that we might be Muslim, but even that’s messed up because you shouldn’t be hating anyone because their Muslim,” Singh said. “We really liked dancing in front of the Wall of Hate and seeing it being torn down after we danced felt good.”
After the performances, Director of Student Media Michelle Manley thanked students for coming and reminded them of the importance of what they were doing.
After ropes were attached to the wall, students gathered to grab a piece of the ropes and pulled them together, toppling the wall.
DeAndra Simmons said she was happy to see that, although it was raining, students stayed outside to support the cause.
“Even on a gloomy day, it was like the sun was out because [it showed] people are actually for this thing,” she said. “They won’t let anything stop them from supporting what’s right.”
Singh said he feels the teardown was important to NSU because of its diversity and that we must stop prejudice because there is no need for it.
“If people can’t learn to work with other people, we won’t be able to progress as a society,” Singh said.
McCalla said she has heard positive reactions to the event. She hopes that during next year’s Unity Week, more students will take the time to participate in the week’s activities.
“Bringing together the NSU community for anything is a great thing, and doing it for a purpose such as this is even better,” McCalla said.
