Unity Weekend kicks off events

By Aimee Huynh, contributing writer
Posted on October 11, 2007

The NAACP will be hosting Unity Weekend this weekend and will feature various events across campus.

“[Unity Weekend is] a week of events dedicated to bringing together JMU students for the sole purpose of breaking down barriers that may be present in our community,” JMU’s NAACP President Stephanie Reese said.

Hip-hop vs. America, a panel discussion involving the students, was held on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in Taylor 309.  The event, held in collaboration with the Black Students Association, was inspired by a debate aired on Black Entertainment Television relating to hip-hop in America and its effects on the generation today and future generations.

A film called “The Shadow of Hate: The History of Intolerance in America” will be shown tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Taylor 309. This film explores the history of intolerance in America and shows documentary footage and eyewitness accounts of three centuries of U.S. racial and religious intolerance.

After the viewing there will a discussion among students about the different issues brought up in the film. Free popcorn will also be served for all those who attend. 

Finally, on the last day of Unity Weekend, Oct. 12, there will be a program called Political Vibe at 5 p.m. in Transitions.

“Students will listen to various types of conscious music and then discuss the issues at hand,” Reese said. It is a way to wrap up the end of Unity Weekend as it connects with the issues in the hip-hop vs. America debate. There will be free pizza served for the attending students.

This weekend’s focus is on allowing the students to speak up about different issues surrounding them around the world, in the media and on campus. The theme of Unity Weekend is “taking UNITY to another level.”

Freshman Kenly Maynard thinks that Unity Weekend is beneficial because it allows you to express yourself on the issues and how you feel.

“Not only that but you get to hear other people’s views and therefore opens your mind to other ideas,” Maynard said.

Reese agreed.

“We believe that diversity leads to open mindedness, which has a unifying element within itself,” she said.  “We may not always agree but we can agree to disagree.”