I attended a meeting, and someone said, “Are we numb to violence?” Those words somehow disturbed my spirit. We must have the conversation on this campus regarding violence in our country. I teach the Black Rhetorical Tradition, and we discussed the power of speech and rhetoric. We have seen what violence has done for this country and even in our University community. Are we numb to violence? What should we do about violence?
We should develop an avenue for students to learn how to engage each other without violence. In my courses I discuss King and Gandhi and the process of non-violent direct action. Someone said, “A moment of silence is a hypocritical act.” A moment of silence at a football game, pep rally or other University event is not enough. We should have the conversation and do something so that people who were killed will always be remembered.
Regarding the murder in Las Vegas and The Emanuel Nine shooting and other places that violence was the order of the day, we should have the conversation with each other and our students. We are preparing them to be leaders in the Global community. We should learn the names of these victims, and we should not be numb, but we should feel and be called to action.
Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr.
Adjunct Instructor, School of Education
African and African American Studies