Racism on the Campus of NEIU: An Editor's Note

The most inaccurate statement circulating our country today is, "We live in a post racial society". Since the election of President Barack Obama, there have been many instances to prove that this particular statement is a fallacy. But here, on our humble campus; where we are constantly reminded that our university is considered the ‘Most Diverse University in the Midwest', we don't expect to find proof in the invalidity of the aforementioned statement.

Unfortunately, the Independent has been made privy to an incident that does just that – stands solidly as that undeniable proof. Recently, one of our African American female students was racially victimized allegedly by two other students on YouTube. She was called nasty racial slurs, and libel was committed on her character. To their credit, Student Life immediately jumped on the incident, and is currently conducting an investigation into the true identities of the culprits. One of which, the text showed, may be a Social Work student.

The one hope I personally have is that students of color can feel like they have a voice and a venue to relay their experiences. We here at Independent plan to ensure that we provide the forum for those voices to be heard. Over the next few issues, Independent will run a series of stories that tackle the issue of race on the NEIU campus. We hope that if you are approached by one of our reporters, you will remember that this is your forum. A place where you can be open and honest about your experiences, concerns, and thoughts in regards to race relations in this place that is virtually all of our second homes.

Meanwhile, know that we at the Independent offer our support to ALL students, this is your forum. Make use of the "Letter to the Community" and "Letter to the Editor" sections of the paper. Make your voice heard. That's what we're here for. Remember, I am available by email at: J-Watkins@neiu.edu if you'd like to write directly to me – and our eboard can be contacted at: neiuindependent@gmail.com for more information, or to send letters to the community. We truly appreciate your readership, and hope we are satisfying the news needs of our community.