The School Responds
Ad Hoc Media Group Sends a Message to the Community
By Heidi Broadhead
9.14 On Friday, September 14, student activists met for an IMF/Globalization teach-in, which very soon turned to a discussion about what students, faculty and staff members could do to address concerns arising from the recent national events. Film department faculty member Gregg Bordowitz proposed forming a collective to record and counteract recent discrimination against students of Arab descent. A group of interested participants gathered in the back of the room and established what is currently called the "ad hoc media group."
Participants formed into two groups: one for film and media and another for print. Members of the media group have already started gathering footage of media reports, candlelight vigils, Chicago in Action and Agape House events, and members of the print group are designing fliers and buttons to raise awareness.
Group members are currently working to decide on slogans and how best to communicate them.
"I wanted to set this up as a group directly about countering racism," said Bordowitz, "and to avoid falling into facile language." He talked about the need to avoid insensitive rhetoric, to "achieve purchase on a higher ground."
Though they are still working to define their full platform, group members agreed that it was necessary to act as soon as possible. In a meeting on Tuesday, September 17, members decided to start with buttons with the slogans, "Racism is not Patriotism" and "No War."
Bordowitz reminded the group to keep it small and simple. "What can we really do now? We can really make the school a safe place for students of Middle Eastern descent. ... The objective is to come to a forum in our community. That's enough," he added.
As group members discussed their individual concerns and agendas, they seemed to agree to a certain extent that the following items need to be addressed as soon as possible:
1) the school needs to be declared a safe place for students of Middle Eastern descent;
2) media messages need to be questioned.
"Just posing questions is one of the most positive things we can do," said student Emily Foreman, "because it's not happening."
For more information on how to get involved with this group, contact Gregg Bordowitz at [email protected] or come to the Activist Student Union Meetings.
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