Students React to UMD Cutting Ties With Unfair Campaign
By:
Photojournalist:
DULUTH – University of Minnesota-Duluth students spoke out against their school pulling out of the Unfair Campaign.
The university is one of 18 partners involved with the campaign that digs deeper into racism and white privilege.
Now they have suspended their membership indefinitely.
"What do you mean we're lucky to be white? It's not luck it's privilege."
That’s the beginning of the Unfair Campaigns Public Service Announcement.
"I think the Unfair Campaign is pretty awesome,” UMD Student Shahz Jahangier said. “I think it makes people more aware."
"I'm all for diversity,” UMD Student Rachel Pagarigan said. “I like lots of different people, I like lots of cultural diversity."
While students who walk the halls of UMD are in full support of the campaign, leaders of the campus are not.
"I don't see why they would quit doing that cause I mean it's a good thing," said Shahz.
According to statements from UMD, Chancellor Lendley Black decided to pull the plug on the university's partnership because of the campaign's PSA.
The university released this statement:
“While we fully support the foundations and principles of the Unfair Campaign, we feel the PSA is divisive and we do not agree with the creative strategy."
"As far as it not being a part of it, I guess that's kind of surprising to me,” said Pagarigan. “I feel when we walk down these halls they're endorsing a lot of being a diverse population."
"There was an incident that happened before that I think it involved a colored person that felt, I think he was being attacked on campus,” said Shahz. “So I think that it would be more reason to help with the Unfair advantage Campaign."
"We do a lot of things that have to do with racism and different things like,” UMD Student Amanda Anderson said. “We should be involved in the Unfair Campaign."
UMD also says its involvement with the campaign has alienated some UMD alumni, supporters and even the broader community.
It’s something NAACP Duluth area President Claudie Washington says can happen.
"Traditionally America has also set out to punish the majority community when they align themselves with people of color on the issue of racism and discrimination," said Washington.
The Unfair Campaign Committee declined to comment, but university officials say a subcommittee has been formed by leaders of the campaign to reexamine the messaging.
