ETSU Votes kicked off its new event, “Tuesday Talks” , on Sept. 8 with the topic “Combating Systemic Racism in America” with around 30 attendees.
The talk gave students a chance to delve into the killing of George Floyd, other related killings and the protests and calls for criminal justice reform since. The meeting was led by students and administrators from ETSU athletics.
“It was nice to see perspectives of students who came over from Memphis or more predominantly Black areas to give their perspective of what’s happening in society,” said Seth Manning, the Student Government Association Vice President.
ETSU has had a number of racially motivated incidents occur on campus. In September 2016, ETSU student Tristan Rettke, a freshman at the time, attended a Black Lives Matter rally on campus wearing a gorilla mask. Rettke went on trial but was cleared of felony charges after his defense successfully argued he was a heckler who had been exercising his right to free speech. He was found guilty of one misdemeanor count of disrupting a meeting. Rettke withdrew from university after the incident.
“I think the university has had pretty appropriate responses for the most part on those issues,” said Manning. “I think part of what we also do well is following up on those issues and making sure we have dialogue around why it happened, why it’s wrong and what we can do better to bridge the gaps in society to where people aren’t feeling so isolated that they need to adhere to certain radical racial beliefs.”
“Tuesday Talks” will take place every Tuesday through Oct. 27 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Each talk will begin with an overview from a guest speaker, followed by a chance for discussion and debate from students. Upcoming talks will focus on topics such as the right to free speech and the right to bear arms, mass incarceration, voter suppression, health care, taxation and climate change.
Manning said the talks offer students a safe platform to discuss topics, while also driving the conversation.
“If students have issues that they want to see, feel free to reach out to us at estuvotes@etsu.edu and make your suggestions, because at the end of the day we’re here to serve students,” said Manning.
To register for the talks visit https://etsu.zoom.us/j/95876338224.
