What kind of week has it been?
It is only Wensday, and yet I am exhausted. I spent the last two daysorganizing a protest of a speaker here at Transy with three of my friends. The mission statement, written by my friend Emily, is as follows:
Dear Fellow Transy Community Members,
Our university’s mission statement proudly declares that one of Transy’s foremost goals as a liberal arts college is "to promote open and fair-minded examination and discussion of values in all forms of endeavor;" we appreciate the ongoing dialogue between members of our city, our state, our country, and our planet concerning issues and opinions relevant to our world today. However, on Tuesday September 13, our university is hosting a talk entitled "Proving the Truth" by Dr. Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church, and though we at Transy value the opportunity to learn from those of all backgrounds and with all different points of view, many of us feel that the ideology endorsed by Dr. Fugate as both a religious and a political spokesman runs counter to another important goal expressed in Transy’s mission statement: "to foster a campus community characterized by compassion, respect, ethical concern, and social responsibility."
Dr. Fugate is probably best known for his "I Love America" rallies held in 2002 and 2004 at Applebee’s Park in Lexington which sparked massive controversy in our community due to such bigoted statements he made as:
"I want to say to the enemies of America, if you don’t want a Christian nation, then go to one of the many other nations that are heathen already, rather than trying to corrupt ours."
In his sermons, he has called Mohammed a "demon-posessed pedophile", called Jesse Jackson a communist, said some liberal politicians should be used "for bayonets in World War III," and that he longed for the "days before diversity" when "everyone knew that there was but one God and we meant the God of Israel… There was no Hindu, no Buddha, no Allah." His colorful repertoire of synonyms for various Americans also bears noting: people who support a woman’s right to choose are referred to as "baby-killers," liberals are "rock-worshipping tree huggers," and those who oppose the war in Iraq are automatically labeled "draft dodgers." Among those he blames for the destruction of the American way of life are "immigrants, liberals, women's rights activists, gays and lesbians, Catholics and non-Christians in general."
Perhaps most frightening is his call to "take back America," employing rhetoric that echoes that of white supremacist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and targeting the same groups; Pastor Thomas Robb even uses the phrase "taking back America" in his preaching to the Arkansas-based Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
Many of us here at Transy believe that this kind of bigotry does not fall within the category of a "fair-minded examination and discussion of values" such as the university condones; rather, it is a one-sided agenda based on hate and discrimination that allows no room for dialogue, compromise, or mutual intellectual gain. There is, of course, no contestation of Dr. Fugate’s right to free speech or the right of Transy students to invite him to the university. We simply feel that, when it comes to a person who so vehemently and unashamedly stands in direct opposition to the goals of our university to "foster a campus community characterized by compassion, respect, ethical concern, and social responsibility," our voice needs to be heard - we do not subscribe to the "truth" Dr. Fugate endorses.
- Concerned Transylvania Citizens
We spent all of Monday evening going door-to-door in the dorms asking people to come support the protest. Then we spent several hours making posters and signs. Tuesday afternoon was spent much the same way until 6:30 when we held the protest. It was awesome. Somewhere between 50 and 60 people showed up to support us, which is pretty amazing considering the following things:
-there are only 1100 students at my school
-only about 20 students showed up to support Dr. Fugate (by the way, his doctorate is honorary).
-the protest was planned and executed in less than 24 hours
We also got amazing support from the Faculty, even though none of them could come. One professor said "Hell, if I didn't have something to do, I would be there with you." The President of the University even emailed Emily with encouragement.
Dr. Fugate's talk was extremely interesting. Especially the Q&A session afterwards at which he pretty much refused to give a straight answer to any question asked, or even give an answer at all to a question asked by a gay student. After the formal discussion was over, about 8 of us stayed after for about an hour and a half to talk to Dr. Fugate and the member of his congregation who leads the Transy Bible Study.
It was exhausting and frustrating, but so worth it.
Afterward, we all went to Denny's in a desperate attempt to wind down, but it didn't really help.
And now I want to sleep for days.