Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Jena 6 case shows racial inequality
By Robert Kahne
Kentucky Kernel (U. Kentucky)
09/27/2007

(U-WIRE) LEXINGTON, Ky. — We would all like to believe that racism and racial injustice are things of the past. Racial problems were issues our parents and grandparents faced. They fought valiantly and overcame nasty prejudices that have existed since the beginning of our country.

Unfortunately, every once in a while we are reminded that this is not true — we are going to have to fight just as hard for racial justice in our generation as our parents did in theirs. I was reminded of our responsibility again when I saw the protest on campus last week on behalf of the Jena 6.

If you are not familiar with the story of the Jena 6, here is a short synopsis of their situation: Some African-American students in Jena, La., asked the principal of their school for permission to sit under the tree that the white students usually sat under, according to a BBC News story. The principal told the African-American students that they could sit "wherever they wanted to."

The day after the African-American students sat under the tree, there were three nooses hanging from the tree, according to an NPR report. The students responsible for the nooses — all white — were given three days of in-school suspension, an Associated Press report said.

After this occurrence, there were several altercations and fights between whites and blacks, culminating in the assault of Justin Barker, a Caucasian, by six African-Americans, according to a Newsweek story. Barker was making fun of a friend of the six who had been beaten up by a white person and allegedly called the students the N-word, according to the "Free the Jena 6" website (jena6.vesana.com/thecase). Barker was treated for his injuries and released later that day to attend the ring ceremony at the high school, the Washington Post reported. Five of the six were charged as adults with attempted second-degree murder.

One of the students, Mychal Bell, was tried and convicted of two felonies by an all-white jury. Bell currently faces more than 20 years in prison, and the other five are still awaiting trial. Bail has been set so high (above $90,000) that the students have been waiting for months in prison for their families to raise enough money or go into debt to free them, the AP reported.

I first heard about the Jena 6 on NPR over the summer. I was appalled at the situation and also shocked that something so obviously unjust was not receiving more media attention. Luckily, the mainstream media finally began covering the events, and a major national movement has started to seek real justice for these six individuals.

It is a shame that over the summer we had to rely on public radio to inform us about these occurrences while hearing plenty about Paris Hilton's jail stay, Lindsey Lohan's driving and Britney Spears' custody battles in the mainstream press.

I don't want to excuse the behavior of these six guys — what they did was wrong. Under no circumstances should taunts or jeers cause violence. However, the charges should fit the crimes committed. Although there were two sides to this fight, only one side was charged with any wrongdoing.

The entire story from Jena is rife with evidence that there are surely two systems of justice — white and black.

Let us never forget the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Our greatest responsibility is towards a goal that has yet to be reached — liberty and justice for all.

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