Black students walked out Monday in solidarity with UC San Diego
on March 4, 2010
Last Monday about two hundred African-American students, dressed in black, linked arms and stood in silence across Sather Gate to protest recent racial incidents at UC San Diego. In particular, the students were protesting a Black History Month ghetto-themed party at UC San Diego called the Compton Cookout. The Facebook announcement for the event invited girls to come dressed as “ghetto chicks,” with gold teeth and cheap clothes. The menu included chicken and watermelon. Ten days later a noose was found hanging in the main campus library.
Following the incidents, the UCSD Black Student Union led protests, including a sit-in at the chancellor’s office.
Soon the outrage spread throughout UC campuses. On February 24th, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau sent an e-mail to UC Berkeley students and staff condemning the Compton Cookout. He committed to a zero tolerance policy for actions that discriminate or demean others based on race, gender, national original, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic. But students protesting Monday weren’t entirely satisfied with the response.
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