"Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Had enough of being disrespected, assaulted & bullied in the classroom?" demanded a flyer that was posted around MCC - Penn Valley the first week of May, promoting a student protest against discrimination.

The protest occurred on Monday, May 7. Students gathered in the cafeteria before marching outside to demonstrate and present their demands to the MCC – PV administration.

"We want to put some things in place that benefit minorities here at Penn Valley," said Tiffany Ray, former president of MCC – PV's Black Student Association (BSA).

The idea originated with Ray, former president of the Black Student Association at MCC – PV. Ray brought it to Angie Ferguson, the current president of the organization. "She had this drive and force - I’ve never seen Tiffany act like this," said Ferguson.

Tiffany Ray

Deborah Scott, a faculty advisor for the BSA, displayed a copy of the flyer on which was written in black marker, "Remember you may still have finals." Scott said of the vandalism, "I think it was done to intimidate. It could have been another student, but I don't think so."

In attendance were about twelve students, various faculty and staff members, and Rosa James, the education chairperson for the Kansas City, Missouri chapter of the NAACP. James said that she was only there to watch. "We don't get involved until we're asked to get involved," she said.

Bernard Franklin, president of MCC - PV, made a brief appearance as the group was still gathering in the cafeteria. "I love it," said Franklin. "I was a protestor when I was a college-aged student. I support it. Power to the people!"

Faculty members discussed their perspective. "If I'm projecting an image of disrespect, someone needs to tell me," said Sandra Landuyt, MCC – PV's Division Chair of Life Sciences and Allied Health.

Several of the protestors said that they had indeed expressed their concerns to the offending teachers, and followed the appropriate channels for student grievances, and the administration still failed to address their issues. One protestor complained that she had gone to the dean three weeks before, was told that she would get a response the following week, and still has not received one.

The event was planned by the president, vice-president, and former president of the BSA, and most of the protestors were members of the organization, but according to BSA advisors, the demonstration was not officially sponsored by the group.

The group carried signs proclaiming "Teach Not Torture," "Direct Not Dictate," and "Fight the Power." Antwone Washington, vice-president of the BSA, created the slogans.

"I won't say that I have necessarily been discriminated against, but I will say I've been offended," said Washington, who described an incident in which a math professor of his had told students to point to Africa on a map. "His exact words were, he wanted to see how African-American we were," Washington said.

"It doesn't matter whether [discrimination] has happened to you," said Jolynn Arnold, a protestor. "It shouldn't happen to anyone."

The protestors demonstrated with their signs on Southwest Trafficway, chanting "Teach, not torture!" and "No justice, no peace!" A healthy distance behind them, a group of MCC – PV faculty and staff observed the proceedings.

Three uniformed security guards were also present. "We're just here to be supportive," said one upon inquiry.

The protestors made their way around the campus to the MCC Administrative Center on Broadway. Angie Ferguson, president of the BSA, went inside with a copy of their demands and returned a few minutes later, assuring the group that they had been taken seriously.

The list included a variety of requests related to discrimination. "We would like to have an NAACP chapter up here," said Ferguson. "We also want a grievance process, so if students go through something, there’s an advocate there instead of them doing it by themselves."

Another demand is a dean of admissions specifically for minority students. "Sometimes there are certain things that we as minorities have to go through that some people won’t be able to understand," said Ferguson.

Other demands were for greater efforts in recruiting non-white students from high schools, better treatment of international students and students with disabilities, and for sexual orientation to be added to MCC – PV's Non-Discrimination Policy.

Ferguson said that further protests may be organized. "If our demands don't get met at a certain point, and things keep going the way they are, then yes, we will [continue protesting]," said Ferguson.

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