Students, alumni seek changes at UT Martin

MARTIN, Tenn. — Students and alumni are demanding changes and accountability at a local university.

“While we’re not unaware of the events going on around the nation, it just kind of hit home in a way that made us need our own action in this area,” said UT Martin student Alexis Millsaps.

Friday afternoon, students and alumni at University of Tennessee at Martin protested against racism and demanded action from the school’s leadership.

“Rain is nothing compared to the experience black students have had on this campus, that our administration and school has continued to not take direct action on,” said UT Martin alumnus Amber Sherman.

Demonstrators say the goal is for UT Martin to hold students accountable for their actions after a controversial video circulated online of students saying racial slurs.

“We need them to expel the racist students that have threatened the safety of black lives with their very racist hate crime statement,” Sherman said.

“This is not freedom of speech, this is freedom of hate. This is freedom of hate for our university and the black lives on this campus,” said UT Martin student Deonte Watson.

Students say they also want a required African-American history course at UT Martin.

“African-American history is American history, and we need to know more than Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks,” Millsaps said

“It’s not enough to not be racist, you need to be anti-racist. Silence is complacency. If you’re not speaking out, you’re a part of the problem,” said UT Martin student Chloe Ridgely.

“We’re not saying that black lives only matter, we’re saying that black lives matter too,” Watson said.

Earlier this month, the school put out a statement saying the incident is under investigation. Once the investigation is completed they will take appropriate action.

School leaders also said that for a new course to be considered, it has to go through faculty senate.