The UNC NAACP held a demonstration at the steps of South Building on Monday where protestors spoke out against the UNC Police Department following an altercation with demonstrators at the UNC Board of Trustees last meeting.

Many demonstrators came to the Board of Trustees meeting on June 30 in support of granting Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure. When the meeting moved into closed session, demonstrators were removed during deliberations. UNC Police had to forcefully remove a handful of demonstrators who did not initially leave.

Incoming President of the UNC NAACP, Jarrah Faye, said at a protest on Monday the actions by UNC Police were unnecessary.

“So instead of the police just kindly making a suggestion for them to move outside, they were pushed and punched,” Faye said. “I’m not surprised and I’m sure nobody else here is because they’re known for brutalizing students, and they’re known for specifically harassing Black students.”

One of the demonstrators involved in the altercation with UNC Police was Vice President of The Black Student Movement Julia Clark. She said the UNC interim police chief, Rasheem Holland, punched her in the face during the trustees meeting.

The student organization has since called for the termination of Holland’s employment with the university.

Clark said she had a meeting with Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Trustee Gene Davis about the altercation.

“These apologies and these statements that university officials give mean nothing to us because we have yet to see any action at all,” Clark said at the protest. “We have presented our demands to them for more than two weeks and have not seen one action step being taken.”

The list of 13 demands from the Black Student Movement are meant to create a safer community for Black people on campus.

One of those demands is to improve visibility and context around the Unsung Founders Memorial, which honors enslaved and free African Americans on UNC’s campus.

Social media posts on Saturday showed pro-Confederates sitting on the monument and sharing derogatory comments. Clark said the presence of Confederates on campus was unsurprising.

“This is exactly what we are talking about,” Clark said. “White supremacists feel safer on this campus than Black students.”

Clark said the university is intentionally not set up to accommodate Black students. She also said none of the current racial equity issues on campus are new, which is why it is important to lift the voices of Black faculty and staff.

Faculty members at the demonstration, like outgoing director of the Carolina Women’s Center Gloria Thomas, echoed student concerns about violence and injustice against Black people at UNC.

“This is a teaching, learning moment, Thomas said. “Nikole Hannah-Jones said it herself in her eight-page statement. This should have been a teaching, learning moment. It was not, it was a pushing, shoving moment.”

Thomas said all interactions on campus need to be made through the lens of education to promote a sense of belonging at the university.

Jarrah Faye said she and other Black student leaders will continue to protest the university administration.

“We’re going to continue to come out here. There’s going to be more rallies, more protests, more everything else until you truly live up to the Lux Libertas, or whatever the hell it is that you claim this university is, because for Black students it is not, it never has been.”

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
UNC Board of Trustees Expected to Vote on Nikole Hannah-Jones Tenure This Week
Top Stories of 2021: Nikole Hannah-Jones and UNC Controversy
UNC Faculty Fear Political Influence in Recent Admin Hires
UNC NAACP Protests University Police, Call for Dismissal of Interim Chief