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Students
rallied at Central Connecticut State University on Oct. 14 to protest
racist actions on campus. The demonstration addressed an alleged
incident during the 2005-2006 school year in
which a former student cross-country runner was forced by his coach to
drink human blood in the presence of teammates. Charles Ngetich filed a lawsuit in September against his
former coach, claiming also that the coach had subjected him to racist
remarks.
The CCSU Recorder reports that the president of
the NAACP chapter at the university, Martine Bernadel,
told the crowd that in the two years she’s attended CCSU, she has seen
terrible acts of racism and discrimination acted upon students and
friends. She asked the crowd to think about how it would feel to be far
away from home and be treated in such a way that Ngetich
has.
CCSU Black Student Union President Patrick Williams
said, “This rally isn’t just about one issue [of racism]; this is about
a constant repetitive thing that happens on campus.” CCSU Youth for
Socialist Action President Marissa Blaszko
began a chant by shouting, “When students’ rights are under attack,
what do we do?” The crowd responded: “Stand
up, fight back!”
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