2008 Woodie Awards
Media coverage of Jena Six reveals true colors of town
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: Letters to the Editor
- Page 1 of 1
The lesson of Jena Six is not solely a black-and-white issue, but a reminder of our strength as a people and how together, we can right the wrongs in this world. It is very irresponsible and convenient to overlook the "black victim" and the "white man" which are quite present in this controversy.
I proudly wore all black on Sept. 20 in support of all individuals taking a stand against the injustice in Jena, La.
Many wore black, protested and came together for a cause - to initiate change in 2007.
We were able to do this because the media stepped up to the plate and broadcasted the reality and truth behind the controversy.
When you visit a town where white people think hanging nooses from a tree is a "practical joke," and since they were "14- to 15-year-old kids" and simply didn't know any better, what other examples of blatant racism do you need?
Here's one. Protesters leaving Jena on their way back to my hometown of Nashville, Tenn., were taunted by two young KKK members driving their pickup truck with a dangling noose, brass knuckles in a cup holder and an unloaded rifle in the back.
Also, if Robert Bailey was unfairly charged of a crime simply because of his race, who's to say the violent crimes Bell was convicted of were honest judgments made by unbiased people?
An all-white school board sent those white students back to school where black students had to fear for their lives. The KKK is in Jena, racism abounds in that city and because of the bravery of those 10,000 plus, charges were overturned and Bell was released.
The media didn't ignore the other side of this controversy, they just highlighted the side in which Jena residents should be and are embarrassed about.
Rachel Lee
Service Clerk
Media Center
I proudly wore all black on Sept. 20 in support of all individuals taking a stand against the injustice in Jena, La.
Many wore black, protested and came together for a cause - to initiate change in 2007.
We were able to do this because the media stepped up to the plate and broadcasted the reality and truth behind the controversy.
When you visit a town where white people think hanging nooses from a tree is a "practical joke," and since they were "14- to 15-year-old kids" and simply didn't know any better, what other examples of blatant racism do you need?
Here's one. Protesters leaving Jena on their way back to my hometown of Nashville, Tenn., were taunted by two young KKK members driving their pickup truck with a dangling noose, brass knuckles in a cup holder and an unloaded rifle in the back.
Also, if Robert Bailey was unfairly charged of a crime simply because of his race, who's to say the violent crimes Bell was convicted of were honest judgments made by unbiased people?
An all-white school board sent those white students back to school where black students had to fear for their lives. The KKK is in Jena, racism abounds in that city and because of the bravery of those 10,000 plus, charges were overturned and Bell was released.
The media didn't ignore the other side of this controversy, they just highlighted the side in which Jena residents should be and are embarrassed about.
Rachel Lee
Service Clerk
Media Center
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