JACKSON, Miss. – Jackson State University students, Monday took part in a nationwide strike planned by Ferguson, Missouri activists angered by a grand jury’s decision not to indict the white police officer who killed an unarmed black teenager.
“It’s not just a black versus white thing. It’s a right versus wrong thing. And that’s what Jackson State stands for,” explained Dominque Tate, a JSU Junior who helped to organize the local protest. “We have to be a voice for the voiceless, because if we don’t stand up for Mike Brown, who will?”
The demonstration, called #HandsUpWalkOut, was held at 1:01 EST across the country. That’s the exact time Brown was killed on August 9 by Officer Darren Wilson. At Jackson State, for four and a half minutes, some students laid down and pretended to be dead while others stood silent. Each minute, organizers said, represented the four hours and 30 minutes Brown’s body laid on a city street, and also honored all other victims of police brutality.
