The Campus Y will be hosting a Festival of Activism, a celebration of all things related to historical activism at UNC, on Thursday. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and include speakers, Black and Blue Tours, student film screenings, oral history presentations and more.
Organized in tandem by the Campus Y and the Residence Hall Association, the event aims to emphasize the historical successes of activism on campus and acknowledge the trauma brought on by past mistakes. Students will be given the opportunity to discuss their experiences with activism on campus and learn what a productive approach to activism looks like.
Thilini Weerakkody, co-director of the event, said she wishes for attendees to be able to reflect on how the University’s troubled past coincides with current instances of student-led activism.
“The University has done some really terrible things,” Weerakkody said. “Chapel Hill has perpetuated a lot of problems with racism and violence, and we want to talk about it because when things are quiet and we don’t acknowledge them ... that’s really dangerous.”
The Black and Blue Tours featured at the event are meant to be a way for students to experience the University’s historical relationship with suffering and progress.
“We go to all these different sites on campus and talk about the history you don’t learn about on our normal tours,” Weerakody said. "Like all the Black people who have created this University and have done so many amazing things whose stories are never told.”
To give students a visualization of what activism has looked like throughout the years at UNC, the Campus Y will be pulling from its historical archives to set up an exhibit on the day of the event.
“It’s important to know the history of our school,” junior Maggie Mae O’Daniel said. “... It gives us a framework for how to move forward.”
Current activists, including current Miss UNC Myra Parker, will also be in attendance to engage with students on current issues facing the University. Kira Griffith, co-director of the event, said she feels this is critical to the festival’s success.
