NSU’s Caribbean Student Association and the Student Events and Activities Board will host the annual Unity Week from Jan. 13 to Jan. 20.
CSA Vice President and SEA Board Member Development and Entertainment Chair Danielle McCalla, senior communication studies major, has been working with CSA Community Service Chair Tiffany Simmons junior marketing major, and SEA Board Multicultural Chair Deasha Roberts, sophomore business administration major, to plan the event. She said this year’s Unity Week will be better than ever.
“Unity Week is a week where NSU students come together and say that we don’t tolerate any type of hate,” McCalla said. “It’s like a big hug for everyone that says you are welcome here, and we accept you for who you are.”
This year’s event will include a Unity Week kick-off, a stereotype panel hosted by NSU students, cultural mixer, open mic night, the Wall of Love and the Wall of Hate — the centerpiece of Unity Week.
The Wall of Hate is composed of blocks that have hateful words written on them. Students have the opportunity to contribute to the wall Jan. 13 and 14 on the Alvin Sherman Library Quad where SEA Board will have a table set up with the blocks and paint for students to create a block.
Last year, approximately 250 bricks were used to create the wall and McCalla said they are expecting more students to participate this year. SEA Board and CSA encourage students to paint offensive words that they may use jokingly when talking to their friends privately but that others may find offensive. McCalla said that once you realize that you don’t want others to know the words you say, it begs the question of why it is acceptable to use certain words or phrases in private that you wouldn’t want others to know you say.
“That’s when you know it’s wrong,” she said. “Hold yourself accountable for the words you use on a daily basis.”
To reinforce a positive mood, there will also be a Wall of Love that students can contribute to on Jan. 15. A table will be set up in the UC for students to write down uplifting words, such as “brother,” “sister,” “beautiful” and “kind,” on pieces of paper designed to look like bricks.
“Because we’re building the Wall of Hate, we don’t want people to just focus on the hate,” McCalla said. “We want people to also focus on the positive side of things — words that can uplift each other and make everyone feel accepted.”
Unity Week will conclude with the destruction of the Wall of Hate on Jan. 20 and student performances on the Alvin Sherman Library Quad.
“The wall is a promise that we won’t use hateful language,” McCalla said. “It’s about coming out, participating and learning something that you can use for the rest of your life. You never know how something you say will be perceived by someone else.”
For more information on Unity Week, contact McCalla at dm1840@nova.edu, Simmons at ts1122@nova.edu, or Roberts at dr1215@nova.edu.
Credit: nsunews.nova.edu
