National Day
of Silence - Wednesday, April 21st, 2004
(Want to
know how it turned out? Click here!)
Press Release
On Wednesday, April 21st, 2004, students across
the Willamette University campus will be silent. These students are
silent in an effort to raise awareness of the diverse issues that affect
students of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning
community (GLBTQ*), and to illustrate the oppressive silence that affects
all of us when we do not speak out against injustice. This is the National
Day of Silence.
In 1996, students at the University of Virginia
held the first Day of Silence event. After their success, they decided
to go national with their program. After the success of the next year
with nearly 100 colleges and universities participating, in 1998, several
high schools joined in the action and added on educational programs
and actions to supplement the silence of students. In 2001, GLSEN (Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network) joined the effort as an official
sponsor. The United States Student Association also assisted the effort
by ensuring the equal support of college and university students. Today,
thousands of middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities
are participating in this movement to end the oppression of GLBTQ students
everywhere. This is the third year that Willamette has been a participant.
Students at Willamette will begin their day with
a vigil on Jackson plaza at 8:00 am. They will spend the rest of their
day in one of three levels of silence: First, to be completely silent;
second, to be silent except to explain the event and its significance;
or third, to speak as an ambassador for those who are silent. At 7:00
pm, the students will gather in Cone Chapel with faculty, high school
students, and community members to break their silence and celebrate
the work that they have done.
In preparation for this event, members of Angles,
the campus queer-straight alliance have come up with a list of requests
to the university, including new inclusive housing forms, admissions
information for GLBTQ students, a general boycott of discriminating
organizations, and a scholarship for incoming GLBTQ students with a
history of community activism.
This will be our third year of participation,
and our most exciting yet. We are welcoming participation from anyone
who wishes to be involved, whether they are affiliated with the university
or not.
For more information on Willamette activities
and copy of our requests to Willamette, please contact:
Jill Summers, jsummers@willamette.edu
(503) 480-2450
Visit the Angles Website at:
http://www.willamette.edu/org/angles/
For additional information on National Events
and History:
National Day of Silence Official Webpage: www.dayofsilence.org
United States Student Association Official Webpage: www.usstudents.org
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
Official Webpage: www.glsen.org
*
GLBTQQI - Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Questioning,
and Intersexed.