Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Classes canceled as Jackson State U. remembers student
By D'Kobie Berry
The Blue & White Flash (Jackson State U.)
12/03/2007

(U-WIRE) JACKSON, Miss. — It was a calm, sunny Friday afternoon. It was also a quiet, somber afternoon throughout the campus of Jackson State University. With classes cancelled, approximately 300 students, faculty and staff members all gathered around the JSU historic campus bell for a memorial and moment of silence for slain student Latasha Norman.

Norman, an accounting major, was found in a wooded area in north Jackson on Thursday after being reported missing Nov. 13 after leaving her class. The 20 year-old junior was a native of Greenwood, Miss.

The memorial began at 2:20 p.m. with a walk from the Charles F. Moore Building, the place of Norman's last class, to the front of Ayer Hall. The bell was rung 16 times for the number of days she was missing.

"The bell ringing was a way for us to show Latasha's family and classmates that we care," said Andrell Harris, Student Government Association president. "We prayed, and though the outcome is not what we wanted, we know the Lord is our higher power. We have to believe there is a reason for everything."

Norman's death has no doubt affected the morale of many students at JSU.

"I don't know how long it will take for students to recover," said Dr. Aaron Banks of JSU. "It's not just something that people are just going to get through."

Ringing the bell two times each were Harris, Ambriel Woods, president of the JSU Accounting Society; Keia Johnson, JSU Junior Class president; Kevin Lawrence; LaMarcus Norman, Latasha's cousin; and Marcus Chanay, JSU's dean of student life. The group rang the bell four times.

Norman said it was not easy ringing the bell for his beloved cousin.

"It's a hard thing to do, being that we were very close," he said. "Our birthday was on the same day. We called each other twins even though we are two years apart."

Woods said it was important to let everyone know that Jackson State cares about Latasha and supports her family.

"It is important to give honor to her life — not her death but her life — here and recognize the goodness she shared with all of us," said the senior accounting major from Jackson.

Lawrence said this is a very tragic time in Jackson State University's history.

"This time is to show the Jackson State University family, the community, the country and the world that we do care about our own, and we will remain strong and get through this," said the junior accounting major from Belzoni.

Johnson said the campus is in a grieving period. "We're just hopeful that right now, we can start the healing process."

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