From Warren Wilson College
Press release
The pair who brought down the Confederate battle flag in front of the South Carolina State House spoke to a near-capacity crowd at Warren Wilson College Wednesday. With the impact of their June 27, 2015, action in Columbia, South Carolina, as a framework, Bree Newsome, who climbed the flagpole, and her co-activist, Warren Wilson College alumnus James Tyson, spent nearly 90 minutes discussing race-related issues in a question and answer session.
“Racism is an American issue. Racism is all over America,” Newsome said in response to a student question. “A lot of what we see in America right now is kind of colorblind racism, this kind of notion that racism doesn’t exist so long as we don’t talk about it. … and, meanwhile, ignore this blatant racial disparity that exists in the country.”
Tyson encouraged the audience, made up mainly of Warren Wilson College students, to get involved in the movement to dismantle racism. “Do not let fear be a grounding factor for your own inaction,” he said. “In order to be effective at what our jobs end up being in this particular movement, we have to tackle the issues when we see them. … Stand up. Push back. Don’t be scared anymore.”
Courtney Paraham, a first-year student from Columbia, South Carolina, said, “This opportunity was a space for me to be able to vent, in a sense, and also to gather further insight into the issues of race and how it’s played out in direct action.”
The event was moderated by Amy Knisley, Ph.D., professor of environmental studies. “We have a lot of students who are engaged in activism and have those energies but don’t necessarily know what to do with them or where to plug in. I think meeting people who are not so far out of college themselves and are making a real difference will give our students a great way to connect and act on their passions.”
Before Wednesday night’s talk, Tyson spent the day interacting with students in various classes and later met with social justice focused work crews.
“To come back to talk specifically about this issue is a pleasure and an honor,” said Tyson. “I never imagined coming back and talking about this. Also, I think the subject matter is not only timely but necessary, particularly for our community here at Warren Wilson, but also for the larger world.”
Newsome added, “Part of what’s so important about the experience of college is that it’s a time when you get to go and be exposed to a lot of different ideas. It’s a time of challenging how you think and really starting to form some worldviews.”
The 2015-16 Spotlight Series is titled “My America, Whose America” and presents an opportunity for the community to connect with award-winning thought leaders and social justice activists. On Nov. 14, 2015, the annual Harwood-Cole Memorial Lecture joins the Spotlight Series to present Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo. Rounding out the series Feb. 20, 2015, the College will host “The Soul of the Activist” symposium featuring Mandy Carter, the 2016 activist-in-residence, alongside religion and culture intellectuals. The Spotlight Series is free and open to the public.
For more information, please visit http://warren-wilson.edu.
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