‘Railroad’ forges ahead

by Sharon Schiff, senior writer

 A large yellow banner on the commons Tuesday afternoon read, “Complacency equals death of the mind,” a message the JMU movement of the Neo-Underground Railroad Conductors want to draw attention to.

NURC is a movement started at JMU last year and has branched out to campuses across the nation to make college students aware of societal issues that affect the human race as a whole. Some of the social problems the movement addresses are racism, sexism, negative stereotypes in the media and inequality.

Student body president Wesli Spencer, founding member of NURC, said, “Let’s not be complacent about social issues because we are going to be the leaders of this country one day. It starts with college people.”

“We are not satisfied with the status quo, we are action oriented and want to stand up and do something about injustice,” Spencer added. “We want to hear what people think.”

While members alternated holding up the bright yellow sign, Spencer invited students passing through the commons to question the statement. He asked sophomore psychology major Yasmin Ebnereza, “What do you think about that?” as he pointed to the banner.

In response to the words on the sign, Ebnereza said, “It can happen [death of the mind] if it lasts too long. If you stay in the state forever, you’ll become numb.”

Junior Kayin Jeffers, one of the founding members of NURC, said the demonstration on Tuesday was designed to draw attention and spread awareness about issues that do not necessarily get brought forth in everyday interactions. 

“We want to open up dialogue for people who want to do something about this and let them know NURC is an outlet,” Jeffers said. “We are trying to break down barriers so we can work together to get rid of beliefs based on falsehood, that’s the foundation of everything we are encountering.”

Jeffers said the movement hopes to provoke change. “We need to change our beliefs about ourselves and about others. We need to change the way to see each other. We need to starting seeing each other as equals.”

Senior Randy Smith, also a member of the NURC movement at JMU, said the group hopes to make students more comfortable confronting societal problems.

“If this is a place of higher learning, then we should strive for the freedom of consciousness, to think through things analytically and constructively,” Smith said.

NURC is also trying to create awareness outside of the JMU community. Spencer said the group of students involved with NURC plan to visit local high schools and middle schools asking those students how they feel about stereotypes and other societal issues.

“Sure, we’ve made some great leaps as a society, but it doesn’t mean everything is fixed,” Spencer added. “We need to progress and find out what’s out there.”