LM students plan lunch protest against racism
On Wednesday, March 11, LM was home to a protest speaking out
against racial profiling and police brutality. The protest, organized
by Yael Dormont ’15 and Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum ’15, was held
during lunch. During the event, students were able to approach a
table at the front of the cafeteria and write their completion of the
phrase “I stand up against police brutality and racial profiling
of all races, not just African Americans.
because...” on a whiteboard. The responses were
photographed and put on Aces Nation.
Dormont and Rapkin-Citrenbaum thought of
the lunch protest when they were discussing the
current conflicts over race taking place throughout
the country. Rapkin-Citrenbaum noted that it is “un-
fortunate that people are being murdered, largely due
to the threat they are branded with simply by their
race.” She said that, “The protest was simply a way
to spread the word about why every life is important.”
They wanted the protest to be about the racial profiling
The two organizers, after first thinking of the pro-
test, spoke to Saleema Smith, the sponsor of
the Becton scholars program. Her positive
reaction to the idea led them to move forward
with organizing the protest. The event, when
first advertised, was met with some skepticism
from people who felt that a discussion about
race should not be led by Caucasian people
and should be spearheaded by people of color.
Smith’s involvement dispelled these worries for
Dormont and Rapkin-Citrenbaum.
Students of different races participated in
the event. Each brought a unique perspective to
the event, sharing their experiences with racism.
Some remarked on how they felt targeted by
police; others commented on being perceived
as a terrorist.
The protest, although it was first met with
some reluctance and shyness, turned into a suc-
cess and drew in students from different races. Overall,
Rapkin-Citrenbaum remarked that, “It warmed my heart
to see students leave their comfort zones.”