In anticipation of Civil Rights in Chapel Hill Celebration Weekend coming up this week, the Jackson Center is BUZZING with activity. Between the brochures, the phone calls, and the seemingly hundreds of emails zipping in and out, the interns and staff are operating on a delicate balance of enthusiasm and sugar rushes (shout-out to Della for the Dunkin Donuts). This weekend is going to be packed with incredible events happening across campus and the community, all of which relate to the theme of discussing, celebrating, and continuing Chapel Hill’s deep history regarding Civil Rights. For students specifically, there will be events in Wilson Library and the Campus Y that highlight the role that students have played in the Civil Rights movement, and continue to play in social activism in general. Perhaps because we only spend four years here, it is so easy for us as students to lose sight of the immensely important role that we play in the Chapel Hill community and the tangible positive differences that we can make in this town. More than just individuals who circle in and out every four years, however, we truly represent the constant role that UNC students have been playing in this town for over 200 years in movements for Civil Rights, workers’ rights, and the social justice issues that are prevalent today. This weekend’s student events will serve as a profoundly sincere reminder of not only student’s roles in Chapel Hill movements, but social activism as a whole. With this in mind, I wholeheartedly encourage all students to attend these events, be heard, and continue the movement.
-Zack Kaplan
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