Community organizer and activist Bree Newsome discussed “Tearing Hate From the Sky” Wednesday evening as part of the Multicultural Student Center’s social justice speaker series.
Newsome is an intersectional social justice activist who is most well-known for scaling the flagpole at the South Carolina State House and removing the Confederate flag in 2015. She discussed recent social justice events, her experience with social justice causes and how students can further advance their own activism.
Khalid Ismail, a social justice educator who works with the MSC, spoke about the purpose and importance of the event and speaker series.
“We try to bring folks who are working for justice around the country to talk to students, inspire students and help them find causes that they care about,” he said.
Students who attended Newsome’s speech said they were informed and empowered after hearing her “everyone can be an activist for a just world” message.
“It was amazing,” student Karon Sims said. “Just coming out here to hear things we can apply to this campus, with all the racial tension going on, I came away with a lot of valuable things that I can use to help lead the protests going on here with #TheRealUW, so I think it’s really important what [Newsome] said.”
Olivia Alston left the event inspired to further her own activism.
“The call to action was so viable to this campus, and based on the history we’ve had, it just empowered me to get more involved,” Alston said. “We’re all here fighting for the same thing, and being in spaces more and becoming more of a leader, that’s what I’m taking away.”
