AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas NAACP is launching a new initiative to fight against what it calls, “unprotected hate speech,” on school campuses.
It comes, in part, after the organization’s president, Gary Bledsoe said some African American Texas State students told the NAACP they’re being harassed by other students on campus.
Last week, a former Texas State student, who is African American, was filmed mocking the killing of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk while students mourned his death on campus.
“What we call it is collective punishment because of something one student did and took responsibility for,” Bledsoe said. “[Now, some students feel they’re being treated as], so long as you’re a black student on the campus, you’re getting the wrath of the other students who just presume that you have certain views, that you did certain things. They tell us stories about being called the n word…Students are afraid to walk across the campuses and they are seeking to get more support from the administration.”
In the current societal climate, the NAACP and its partners said there’s not enough respectful, moral and civil discourse. A new effort called, “building the beloved community,” seeks to change that.
The NAACP is taking intentional steps to ‘reclaim civil dialogue.’
“We believe all persons from the left to the right have freedom of speech in this nation, that’s what makes it great,” Bledsoe said. “But one of the things we want to do is to make sure that we come together in dialogue.”
The Texas NAACP is now working with various faith leaders and other community leaders including:
- Austin NAACP
- Pastors for Texas Children
- Texas League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
- University Baptist Church Austin
- Travis County Commissioner of Precinct 1, Jeff Travillion
According to the NAACP, it is working to organize round tables in neighborhoods around the state. And they are also going to try to work with school campuses, asking them to adopt anti-bullying policies.
“No student should be bullied, and racial bullying is not a constitutional right that somebody else has, but that’s what it’s evolved into,” Bledsoe said.
The round tables will be guided by discussion points:
- Reimagining Public Safety—Moving to Safe, Healthy, Hopeful Communities (Travis County)
- Public Safety Suggestions document for college campuses (Texas NAACP)
- Proposed policy on K-12 bullying (Legislation written by Sen. José Menéndez, Rep. Ron Reynolds, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, IDRA and Texas and Lubbock NAACP)
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