November 17, 2016
Students Organizing for Liberty and Liberation, SOUL/Facebook
According to a Facebook invite, Students Organizing for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) and Black Graduate Students (BGAPSA) are organizing a week of action at the University of Pennsylvania beginning with a nationwide walkout at 2:15 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 17.
Students across the country have been invited to participate in a #StandWithPenn National Walkout at 2:15 p.m. EST today, Thursday, Nov. 17.
According to a Facebook event invitation, the walkout is being led by Students Organizing for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), in collaboration with Black Graduate Students (BGAPSA), at the University of Pennsylvania in response to racist messages sent to black students at the University of Pennsylvania last week.
“We are organizing in response to Black freshmen who were added to GroupMe chats that scheduled 'Daily Lynchings' and threatened them with racial slurs. We all refuse to attend universities or live in a country where people threaten our safety and silence us. We need your help to make this possible," the invite reads.
The walkout will be the first in a "week of action" aimed at combatting racist actions at Penn and across the country in the days since the presidential election.
#StandWithPenn pic.twitter.com/cLqw1D9CyY
— Rosemary Clark (@roeclark) November 17, 2016
"When you say you are not racist because you voted for Trump, you are just as bad because you supported his ideals." #StandWithPenn pic.twitter.com/hQCJSbPZCZ
— SOUL4Haiti (@ignitingtheSOUL) November 17, 2016
Penn SLAP stands with @ignitingtheSOUL #StandWithPenn pic.twitter.com/kQckgycKhy
— SLAP@Penn (@Penn_SLAP) November 17, 2016
The Facebook invite goes on to say that it's been difficult for students across the country to focus on academics given the rise in targeted racism.
Participants are being asked to dress in all black and "stand in solidarity with us."
