To the Campus Community,
Yesterday was a very emotional day on our campus. For those of you who are not aware, during a student-initiated gathering related to this week's election held in front of Grewen Hall, a number of pickup trucks drove on campus and deliberately passed by the group.
One of the trucks was flying a Confederate flag.
The Confederate flag is a loaded symbol – but since the passage of time often diminishes the impact or true meaning of symbols, I want to provide a brief history. It first appeared during the Civil War as the Confederate battle flag. Shortly after being selected as the vice president, Georgia’s Alexander Stephens explained why the perpetuation and expansion of slavery was the central goal of their new nation. “Our new government is founded upon exactly [this] idea,” he told his audience. Its “foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.” The origin of the confederate flag is thus irretrievably associated with the history of slavery and the willful subordination of one group of people to another.
For many years this symbol disappeared, only to resurface in the late 1940s as an official symbol of yet another racist group - the Dixiecrats. In 1948, Strom Thurmond from South Carolina ran for President under this party's platform, which included the following: "We stand for the segregation of the races and the racial integrity of each race." During the civil rights movement, the Confederate battle flag continued to evolve into a symbol used by white supremacy groups representing hate, racism, and violence. From the Ku Klux Klan to segregationists to most recently the Charleston shooter, radical hate groups have adopted this flag as a symbol of their values.
Make no mistake: the presence of the flag was deeply upsetting to me and to many individuals, and is something that is antithetical to our Jesuit heritage. What the flag stands for, in both the past and present, is not tolerated on our campus.
In spite of this disturbing incident, I am proud that our students gathered outside of Grewen Hall comported themselves in a manner consistent with the core values of Le Moyne College. With students on both sides of the political discussion involved in the event, it was a very passionate display - but it remained peaceful. The statements made by Professor Ann Ryan, which have gone viral, perfectly encapsulate the type of civil discourse we strive for at the College. (Hear her words here.)
As a Jesuit college, we have a moral responsibility to speak for the most vulnerable among us. We also have a duty to model the kinds of civil discourse that seem to be lacking in our society today. We want to use what is happening in our country as a teachable moment -- to speak against intolerance and bigotry, while demonstrating that we can do so without demeaning differing political points of view or each other in the process. We must hold steady to our moral precepts while maintaining the sense of cura personalis for which we are so well known. In the words of Pope Francis, "May we make God’s merciful love ever more evident in our world through dialogue, mutual acceptance and fraternal cooperation."
The emotions that so many of us are feeling these days are powerful and genuine. We embrace democracy and the rights of individuals to express themselves freely. But as a Jesuit institution, we are also committed to helping further society through the promotion of social justice. We have, and must continue to, foster the ideals espoused by Le Moyne College.
Moving forward, I want to ensure everyone that we are committed to continuing an open, ongoing dialogue that is respectful, inclusive and productive. Our plans are to arrange several events over the weeks ahead to assist with these conversations; we will let you know as these are scheduled.
These have been trying times; we will get through this together, even if this means having sometimes difficult conversations as individuals and as a community.
Sincerely,
Linda LeMura, Ph.D.
President