Racial issues currently exist and are often much more subtle and difficult to address. The days of protests, marches and sit-ins are practically obsolete strategies against social injustices. The Jena Six incident has recently raised several questions about our national justice system, racism and the ways to approach such conflicts.

On Dec. 4, 2006 in the small town of Jena, La., six black students were arrested and charged with attempted degree murder and a 100-year parole after beating a white student who suffered a concussion and some bruises. The attack occurred within a context of rising racial tension that had existed at Jena High School.

A few days prior, a black student asked permission from the principal to sit underneath a tree on campus that was designated for white students only.

The next day, three nooses were hung from this “white tree.” The local District Attorney said the action was a prank rather than racism and did not pose a threat to anyone. In addition, there had been violence by white students against the blacks on numerous occasions where the perpetrators were hardly punished.

The six young males, who are between the ages of 15 and 17, were tried by an all-white jury.

Residents claim that Jena, which is 85 percent white, has always had issues of racism, and no one in their community has addressed these issues.

Rallies, online petitions and raising money for legal defense are just a few examples of how the country has reacted to the Jena Six trials. Skidmore College has also refused to take a passive stand.

On Sept. 20, students of the clubs Students Organized Against Sweatshops (USAS), Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR) and others rallied at the college’s campus green. There was a table set up where students asked others to wear black in solidarity.

Three-hundred students also signed a petition that went to the District Attorney of Jena stating that Skidmore does not support racism or the unjust judicial system of this case. Soon afterwards, a handful of students wrote a letter to the President formally asking for him to respond to Skidmore College.

One of the main goals of Skidmore is to support diversity and create globally cognizant students, which fueled this fervent response.

Skidmore’s mission statement claims, “The principal mission of Skidmore College is the education of predominantly full-time undergraduates, a diverse population of talented students who are eager to engage actively in the learning process. The college seeks to prepare liberally educated graduates to continue their quest for knowledge and to make the choices required of informed, responsible citizens.”

In addition, Goal II of the Strategic Goals of Skidmore states, “We will challenge every Skidmore student to develop the intercultural understanding and global awareness necessary to thrive in the complex and diverse world of the 21st Century.”

After a month of waiting, President Glotzbach finally wrote a letter in response to their insistent pleads. He commended the students’ positive actions and wrote, “I am proud that you as Skidmore students (along with other Skidmore community members) have taken up on social issues raised by the case of Jena 6. Your desire to learn the facts and to exercise your rights as political speech is exactly the type of engagement that we hope all Skidmore students will exhibit as ‘informed, responsible citizens’ of the world.”

He commented that it is impossible for Skidmore as an institution to research every social issue that exists and that its primary goal is to “sustain a physical and an intellectual space that supports study, dialogue, and honest debate on the most difficult and controversial issues of our time.”

Lizzy Edwards, a politically active Skidmore senior, stated that she wanted the President to respond so that Skidmore and Saratoga know that the college does not support such racism.

She asked me to respond to the Saratoga community on behalf of Skidmore College.

As a senior and reporter, I want to raise awareness about racism that occurs in our society and that several in our community refuse to tolerate it. Yes, we have come a long way since Rosa Park’s refusal to stand on the bus, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and the “Little Rock Nine”, yet we are still trapped in the battle against discrimination and there is still plenty of work to do.

I am proud to say that President Glotzbach’s and the students’ responses reassure me that informed and active members of our country do exist, and there is the possibility of a future with more equality.

For more information about Jena Six, visit www.freethejena6.org or www.colorofchange.org/jena.