The March to Jena

In 1965, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old African-American woman, sat in the front of a bus and refused to give up her seat. In her autobiography, My Story, Parks recalled that she was simply “tired of giving in.” A police officer arrested her for her actions, but Parks’ peaceful protest helped spark a civil rights movement. The rest is history.

Since Parks’ protest, equal rights and opportunity have been indoctrinated into America society through legislation, affirmative action, and desegregation. History may be repeating itself, however.

In August 2006, at Jena High School in Jena, La., three nooses were hung on a “whites-only” tree. This occurred after a black student asked the school’s vice principal if he and his friends could sit under the tree. Three white students were suspended, but were not criminally charged.

After a number of racially driven incidents, a group of six black teenagers, now known as the Jena Six, were charged with beating their white schoolmate Justin Barker on December 4, 2006. Barker was reportedly knocked unconscious, and his face was bloodied and swollen. Barker still attended a school function the same night of the beating.

Seventeen-year-old Mychal Bell was the first to be tried. Bell was a successful and talented student athlete. He had already received offers to play Division I football for schools like Louisiana State University and Mississippi State.

He was originally charged with attempted murder, but that charge was reduced to aggravated battery and conspiracy. After much debate, it was decided that Bell should have been tried as a juvenile. He was imprisoned for almost 10 months, and was finally released on September 27, 2007 after providing bail. Despite his release, the case is not over for Bell, whose retrial will begin on December 6, 2007.

For the past few months, college campuses across the country have actively protested against the treatment of the Jena Six.

The Internet has been extremely popular and resourceful to college students, as most students have little money and financial resources. Using Facebook, students have created and organized events on campus such as open discussions, petition signings, and protests on the Jena Six incident. Students have even used the site to coordinate days to wear certain color shirts that represent a certain opinion or idea, or simply supportive shirts with “Free the Jena Six” written on them.

“Many people actually check their Facebook to know what’s going on in the world,” Ithaca College sophomore Zaneta Clarke says. “It’s somewhat unfortunate, but it’s true… Many people found out about the Jena Six incident just from Facebook. I know I did.”

Yet some people still felt the need to expand their activism beyond Facebook and the Internet. The case sparked tremendous protests by those who felt that the arrests and charges were racially discriminatory and unfair.

On September 20, more than 15,000 demonstrators swarmed Jena to rally against the unjustified treatment of the Jena Six in Jena. During the demonstration, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the demonstration’s organizer, told people outside of a nearby courthouse “we will not stop marching until justice runs down like waters.”

The demonstration, one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in years, was certainly not limited to protesters from the South. During that same day, similar protests were held in other cities such as New York., Los Angeles and Cleveland.

Many of the college students protesting the incident became involved because they could personally relate to them, due to the age closeness. Students of color were especially reactant towards the incident.

At the University of Virginia, students held a vigil and walk out in response to the Jena Six incident. Students wore black or green shirts, both signifying protests supporting the Jena Six. Families of the Jena Six informed the media that protestors should wear black to signify their support. Green was also worn to represent new beginnings.

Five University of Virginia students and three Virginia Commonwealth University students traveled to Jena to participate in the primary protest.