Students rally for affirmative action

Several student groups noted the second annual Students and Youth Day of Action. Over 100 members of the University community braved the cold to rally together on College Green yesterday in support of affirmative action. The "Call to Action Rally" was the main event in a series of programs marking the second annual Students and Youth Day of Action in Defense of Affirmative Action. Several organizations -- including the United Minorities Council, White Women Against Racism and the Black Graduate and Professional Students Assembly -- joined together to sponsor events across campus. College junior and UMC Political Chairperson Daniel Cherry called the rally a "proactive rally in defense of affirmative action." He stated that the purpose of the rally was so that the "University knows students will do everything in our power to make sure affirmative action stays at [Penn]." "This is not a black-white issue, it's one that affects us all," Cherry added. Vinay Harpalani, a second-year Education graduate student, said that throughout history the "gains made by African Americans were followed by reactionary movements" of white people. "It's time for us, as students at Penn, to mobilize? [and] build a vast, diverse commission to fight this war," Harpalani added. At the rally, Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum read a statement from University President Judith Rodin, in which Rodin said she gave "full support" to affirmative action policies at Penn, emphasizing that "we must recognize and accept the diversity of the society we expect our graduates to lead." In her own speech, McCoullum referred to her grandson in stressing that people need to "reaffirm our commitment" to upholding equal admissions policies at universities across the country for future generations. Throughout the day, BGAPSA and other organizations sponsored a petition drive on Locust Walk in support of affirmative action, both at Penn and nationally. The list of signatures on the petition will be presented to Rodin in the hopes that the University will continue to "ensure equal access to [Penn's] campus in admissions," said BGAPSA President Nsenga Burton, a second-year graduate student in the Annenberg School for Communication. The day concluded with a speech in Stiteler Hall by Islamic minister David Muhammed, who spoke about the importance of getting black people involved in their communities. "Black people have always been mobilizing toward some form of action, toward some form of power," Muhammed said. "[White supremacy] is a mindset that has to be altered and changed." February 24 was designated last year as a national day of defense by students at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Michigan in response to recent initiatives to end affirmative action, such as Proposition 209 in California. This year 25 universities across the country recognized the day.