"Racism and sexism are no joke," "We will not tolerate bigotry," "Two weeks 'vacation' not enough," signs protestors held read, as they chanted "Don Imus must go now," at a rally held yesterday at Cooper Green on Douglas campus.
Protestors attended the rally to call for the resignation of Don Imus from his daily radio show "Imus in the Morning," simulcast by MSNBC and CBS.
Although, Imus was suspended for two weeks, protestors felt this amount of time was not enough.
"I call his punishment a two-week vacation, because he will come back and continue his radio show and continue to be such a racist, narrow-minded individual," said Adebayo Sotayo, president of the University's Black Men's Collective organization.
"His apology that he gave was only given because he was caught, because people picked up on what he said. He thought it might fly by, and we showed him different. Let's continue to show him different, show MSNBC, CBS, all the sponsors, show America different," said Chidimma Acholonu, president of the University's NAACP.
Hundreds of supporters gathered at the rally to show just that. Students, alumni, community activists and leaders from all over the country joined to show their support.
The protest also attracted those who had not been familiar with the issue.
Monroe Township resident Bob Dell said he was on his way home and was just curious to see what was going on.
"I didn't really know the details of the issue, but from all the protestors I am seeing here today [at the rally] I think Imus must have really wronged society," Dell said.
Rutgers College junior Kevin Patrick, president of the University's United Black Council, and Douglass College sophomore and Suzan Sanal hosted the rally.
Mary Hartman, director of the Institute of Women's Leadership, was the first speaker at the event.
Hartman said she got a phone call yesterday from someone asking why a woman's organization was sponsoring the program. "By the end of the phone call, he got the message," she said.
Feminism activists strongly felt the comments made by Imus were not only racist but also sexist. Head coach C. Vivian Stringer and the women's basketball team have a lot to teach Don Imus, Hartman said.
Commuters on George Street honked their horns in support.
"We have to get to the point where we don't have to classify women as hoes and African Americans as nappy-headed," she said.
"We are here at Rutgers, where some of New Jersey's finest daughters are getting a world class education, " said state Sen. Nia Gill, an alumna of Rutgers School of Law. "We are gathered in unified outreach against the racist and sexist position of Don Imus and his violation of verbal assault of the Rutgers women's basketball team, who are our daughters, sisters, our champions. These young women don't have to prove to the world they are not what they called. We celebrate their intellectual and academic achievements."
During her speech, Gill addressed Imus personally as she spoke to the crowd.
"I believe that you are sorry you are being called to tack for your reprehensible and cowardly conduct, not for the conduct itself," she said. "As a so-called 'shock jock,' you get to use your pulling pulpit against those who do not have a platform or microphone. It is shocking you're still on the airwaves."
Acholonu said the protest served as a message for people who think it is allowable to degrade people by words. Don Imus does not understand the power of his words, so it is up to us to show him the power of his words through the power of our actions, she said.
"Today we did not come to be angry, start fights or start any sort of up rest. We come to support our women's basketball team and to support a movement towards equality on all standparts," she said. "We also come to make an example. We ask not only for him to be removed from his position but to gracefully understand why he needs to resign."
Gill and other speakers urged for a nationwide boycott against companies that support Don Imus.
"If MSNBC and CBS does not have the moral force to fire Imus, then it's up to [society] to make him accountable through their pocketbooks," Gill said. "Call on a boycott of companies and products that sponsor Imus and radio stations that carry him. We should call for a boycott in the state of New Jersey for the racist and verbal attacks."
We also ask that his sponsors no longer sponsor a show that promotes ignorance and injustice, Acholonu said.
"It's money of hate, inequality, bloodless money," she said. "We don't want to support anyone that supports Imus and his ignorance, and we won't."
The speakers encouraged everyone to join in their effort.
"If you have a daughter, join us. If you have a sister, join us. And because you have a mother, join us," Gill said.
Students also supported the movement.
"They need to realize that if that wasn't something that was inside of him, it wouldn't have come out of his mouth," graduate student Vanessa Holden said. "He should be punished by having a complete lack of support for his program. The world should respond to this by not supporting his racist, sexist and homophonic program."
Sotayo said he was hoping to reach out to many people through the rally.
"We hope that people from different cultures and races and the media witness unity and our ability to organize as a collective group to have this racist individual fired from his job," Sotayo said. "His derogatory racist statements must not go unnoticed. Something must be done and done now. He must be fired."
Other students felt firing Imus would be too much.
Rutgers College sophomore Matthew Brockbank felt Imus was entitled by his First Amendment right to make his comments. When asked about taking freedom of speech too far, Brockbank said, "Yes and No. You don't have to listen to him, do you?"
"Other people can get away with it. I wouldn't have said it. I think it was a little uncalled for," he added.
But students, such as Sotayo, felt the freedom of speech comes with consequences.
"Right to the freedom of speech does not mean right to freely speak about individuals on the basis of prejudice and racism," Sotayo said. "Just as Kramer's comment, this will left by the waste side and disregarded without any further severe punishments."
Imus thought he was just insulting a small group of black women, but as you can see now, that is not the case, said Mohamed Jalloh, national program director of Alpha Phi Alpha Rutgers Chapter.
"He has insulted the entire Rutgers community, he has insulted women everywhere, he has insulted black communities across the globe. … Racism and sexism is not tolerated; therefore he must be fired."
Many other speakers and activists spoke at the rally, including the president of the Center for the Advancement of Women, National NAACP leaders and many other feminism activists.
Pat Henry, president of the University's Black Student Union, felt Imus' words affected the University community as a whole.
"This should have been a time for rejoice and thanks, not a time to purposely bash and degrade an entire group of individuals. The Rutgers women's basketball team represents the entire Rutgers community. By degrading our team, you degrade us as well," Henry said. "A two week suspension is not action enough, but a ploy - a ploy hoping that this situation blows over and is forgotten quickly. We have to fight for our dignity, fight for our community, and fight for the young women of our basketball team."
NAACP members asked protestors to sign petitions for Imus' resignation. But some students did not feel it was necessary.
"Two weeks suspension is enough," School of Engineering sophomore Leke Alomaja said. "There are a lot more issues going on in the world. It shouldn't just stop here. We can't just worry about black issues, white issues. There are other races in the world. We need to learn how to help everyone equally. It shouldn't just stop here."
Others begged to differ, seeing the comment connected to larger issues. "This shows racism, discrimination and gender inequality is still alive today," he said.
Some students felt the protest really brought to the forefront issues affecting the Rutgers community.
"This protest was not pointless. It will make a difference," Rutgers College junior Kenny Wakefield said. "I came to the protest to show my support for the ladies on the basketball team, and to show that I am opposed to racism and sexism."
Patrick said he felt the protest had gotten the nation's attention.
"Now it's up to us to go after racism, sexism, time for us to take a step forward," Patrick said. "This [rally] serves as a catalyst to go forward."
As people began to dissemble from Cooper Green, a group of women sat by the hill on the side of George Street, and continued to display signs and protest.
"We will not give up protesting until Imus is fired," Douglass College senior Kyme Vette said. "Even though the suspension will not last, these words will always last. The girls will always remember this."
-Jessica Durando
contributed to this article.
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