OU President David Boren has accepted a request to meet with student group Unheard to discuss their grievances against the university after a protest march yesterday.
Unheard led a unity march Wednesday afternoon, walking down the South Oval and through Evans Hall, to spread awareness of their complaints of a lack of black representation, culture and support at OU.
Before the march, senior and Unheard member Naome Kadira greeted the group and spoke of its mission after graduate student Russell Bouyer sang to the group briefly.
Unheard members and supporters dressed in black and put tape with “Unheard” written over their mouths to symbolize the core of the movement.
“[The tape] represents the silence we have as black people as a community,” said Keith Logan said, Unheard executive.
Marchers also held signs as they walked with phrases such as “we demand change,” “I am unheard” and “silenced by our university,” among others.
The movement attracted the attention of many people at the university, gathering the support of several Housing and Food staff members, as well as OU basketball player Isaiah Cousins.
After hearing about the march through friends in the Black Student Association, Cousins decided to participate since he felt he could relate to the group’s ideals.
Cousins’ main issues were his experiences with unequal treatment as a black student and athlete.
“They assume that we’re athletes because we’re tall, and they’re always asking us questions about basketball," Cousins said. "They don’t ask us ‘How are you doing?’ or none of that. They always want to talk about basketball.”
Cousins supports Unheard and its goals of a better life for black students at OU.
“[Unheard is] for change for all the students that are African-American at the university,” Cousins said.
The march incited reactions from many passing students, some of who joined the group to find out more information or began discussing it while walking past.
One student was senior Casey Miller, who stopped to watch Unheard members as they gathered before the meeting.
Though Miller had not previously heard of the group and didn't know much about their situation, he felt like he could relate to them as a minority.
“As a Native American, we get what we have mostly from Chickasaws, or whatever tribe you are … So I kind of feel them that there’s not a whole lot of representation,” Miller said.
Sophomore Reese Booker and his friend, Matt Lopez, saw the march as they walked down the South Oval.
Booker, initially shocked by the group marching down the oval, described it as “surprising and uncomfortable,” as well as “hilarious,” mostly because of the tape over members’ mouths.
However, after hearing what the march symbolized, Booker said he thought it was great that the group had taken action to stand up for themselves.
“I think it’s good that they want to voice an opinion if they feel truly hurt," Booker said. "It doesn’t matter what organization it’s with — if you feel like you are hurt and subjected and you want to be at a peaceful rally about it, then you have every right to do so."
To mechanical engineering junior and Unheard executive Alexis Hall, the march was a definite success as it gave passersby a chance to step back and take interest in what Unheard had to say.
Unheard would continue to call for change and spread awareness of their grievances at future events, Hall said.
“This is the first of many events and it’s going to be a domino effect. You’re going to start seeing this change,” Hall said.
Following the march, Boren released a statement discussing his willingness to cooperate with the group and listen to their suggestions.
“One of the greatest threats to opportunity for students from lower income families, including ethnic minorities, is the declining investment by state governments in colleges and universities, which pushes up the cost of attendance for students,” Boren said in a statement.
After the march, Unheard tweeted that Boren has agreed to meet with the group on Wednesday, Jan. 21, said Corbin Wallace, OU press secretary. Unheard executive members will hold a town hall meeting at 8 p.m. tonight in room 123 in the George Lynn Cross Hall, located at the end of the South Oval, next to Richards Hall.
More details about the meeting with Boren and other Unheard events will be publicized to their Twitter account, @OU_Unheard.
