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Last Tuesday, as sunlight glittered across the pristinely green lawn of Abele Quad, shouts of gibberish echoed throughout the gothic arches of West Campus. Shrouded in long, black robes and sunglasses, young men powered forward determinedly on a path that made little sense to an outside observer.
On Dec. 14, 2012, a young man armed with a semi-automatic weapon burst into Sandy Hook Elementary School and fatally shot 26 people–20 of whom were small children. On Jun. 12, 2016, another young man with an automatic weapon open-fired on a crowd at Pulse nightclub, killing 49 people who had gone out to enjoy a night of dancing. On Oct. 1, 2017, an older man with an automatic rifle murdered 58 people from the 32nd floor of a hotel, indiscriminately open-firing on a crowd of country music festival-goers.
When Mayor Bill Bell took office 16 years ago, the city of Durham looked nearly unrecognizable compared with its appearance today. There was no American Tobacco Campus, no DPAC, no Parlour, and little to do in the downtown corridor. When Bell took office, he pledged to undertake an unparalleled revitalization effort that would sweep the city in the following decade. The investment brought billions of dollars to the city that renovated old tobacco mills into livable spaces, attracted novel start-ups and businesses, and made a Durham a destination for arts, food, and culture.
Last fall, DukeEngage surpassed Duke Men’s Basketball as the most heavily-cited reason on Common App applications that prospective students yearn to come to Duke. With a budget of $30 million, the program aims to get students involved with civic leadership and cultural immersion in cities across the world. The program offers Duke students the meaningful (and free) opportunity to serve in a new community and contribute, ideally, to some aggregate change.
As students pour in groves back onto campus, back into the sweet embrace of the Durham heat, they return to a city more turbulent than ever, and perhaps more resolute too. Durham is in the throes of a mayoral race in which seven candidates are battling for the seat, and our nation at large has been forced to confront the ugly hate that continues to haunt our cities. In the face of a rumored KKK march, Durhamites rallied together at the courthouse downtown, where days earlier, activists had dismantled the Confederate monument out front. What began as a moment of bravery and solidarity quickly turned to celebration. In the heat of August, we beat drums and danced, black, white, old, and young proclaiming that there was no place for white supremacy in Durham: not in the form of a march, and not in the form of a statue.
In a shiny glass conference room on the ninth floor of the main Quicken Loans office, a tour guide asked a group of 16 Duke students if they knew what an HBCU was. We are guests here in the city of Detroit, participating in a DukeEngage program and serving several community partners across the community. Maybe a few of the students were sleeping or not paying attention, and many of our group is international, often unaware of bits and pieces of American culture. Regardless, 3 or 4 of us raised our hands. The vast majority of the room stared blankly at our tour guide as he spelled out the acronym: “Historically Black College or University.”
At age 16, I wore braces and small clips in my hair, threw myself into trends like Tom’s and made the silly decisions that most kids make. Unlike many kids, I did not have to worry about serious trouble at home, nor need to resort to shoplifting for everyday necessities. I was lucky, and often given the benefit of the doubt despite my poor decision-making skills. I got the simple freedom of being a child.
Yesterday morning, I sat in the balcony of the Carolina Theatre next to a row of sweet old white women. We exchanged pleasantries before our film began, crying together as scenes of violence, emotion, and heavily militarized policing flashed across the screen. The artful craft of documentary film is celebrated each year at the Full Frame Film Festival right here in downtown Durham, and we had chosen to kick off the 20th anniversary of the event by attending “Whose Streets?”
Over the past few months, it has become en vogue for well-meaning middle-aged journalists, social scientists, and politicians to chastise college students for their perceived “sensitivity.” Scholars and pundits from Frank Bruni to Bill Maher have bemoaned the coddling of American students, as well as the development of an awareness of microaggressions and advocacy for safe spaces. Their statements have taken on new popularity in the days since the Middlebury protest. A few weeks ago, Charles Murray, a Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)-identified white nationalist, spoke at an event at Middlebury College. In opposition to his presence, students gathered in protest within the venue, drowning out his talk with chants. The demonstration turned violent outside, where students attacked Murray’s car.
In the weeks following the election of Donald Trump, I sat down for lunch with my friend Martín. Martín is brilliant and charming and wittier than a sitcom character, and he knows exactly how to carry out the kinds of conversations that are meaningful but still entertaining. He is a biology major planning to work in the pharmaceutical industry; Martín is undocumented.
At age 31, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States is no small title. Duke graduates, to their credit, have the ambition and drive to affect real change at a young age- be it for better or for worse. Stephen Miller graduated from Duke in 2007, a mere 10 years ago. During his time here, he was perhaps The Chronicle’s most arrogant and outwardly offensive columnist. Over the past few weeks, Miller has been in the spotlight over quotes on behalf of President Donald Trump. His unsubstantiated claims have been lampooned on late night shows.
I looked up at the crowd of people last Sunday waving American flags in the air. We were standing outside of RDU, the gateway of the Triangle, chanting and holding signs. There were cowbells and drums and small children and old couples leaning into each other in the briskness of January. After years of Moral Mondays, the scene itself felt familiar to me. But the feeling was different. This time, people were gathered as a reaction to federal—not state—actions.
When I was in grade school, I learned the difference between democracy and authoritative government. In a democracy, that shining city upon a hill, the people had a voice in politics. They chose their leaders in free and fair elections, and their concerns were addressed by caring politicians. In an authoritative regime, those in power were manipulative and tyrannical, stopping at nothing to preserve their seats.
Christmas season is upon us. The air is crisper, the smiles are wider, the Starbucks cups are creating yet another national frenzy. My friends gather with their families around a tree, I gather with mine around a menorah. People across Durham and across the nation look forward to opening presents in the warmth of their living rooms, surrounded by loved ones and warm cookies.
I try not to use this column as a space for personal reflection. Every two weeks, I am given a platform to bring to light important social issues, and I do my best to base these pieces in fact, evidence and careful research.
On Oct. 20, the official Republican nominee for President of the United States made an unprecedented threat.
A few weeks ago, somebody asked a question that stumped me. A high school friend came to visit my dorm room and to see Duke’s beautiful campus. For me, it was uninhibited bliss. I had two or three hours to sing Duke’s praises, brag about my amazing classes, my wonderful new friends, my delicious West Union. By the end of it, she could tell I was in love.
Tiana Horn, president of The Black Student Alliance (BSA), said, “Knowing there are people out there achieving who are similar to you is important for students' success…Showing a diversity of achievement is vital to all students at this school—it enriches our community.”
“The renaissance is a great thing as long as you can participate in it. In order to make it beneficial, we have to give people access to the vision.”
Rep. Graig Meyer of North Carolina House District 50 said, “This election is really putting North Carolina in the middle of our national political debate. As the most closely divided state in the nation, there are a lot of eyes on us.”
