UCM Students Show Support in Jena, La.
Rachel Whitfield: for the Muleskinner
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: News
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The Jena 6 is a group of six African-American high school students who have been at the center of a battle concerning justice and inequality. Five of the six, who all attended Jena High School in Jena, La., were charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder after nearly three months of racial tension that lead to various fights and confrontations on and off of school grounds.
The sixth student's records are sealed because he is a minor. The charges have since been reduced for four of them. Jena, La. is about 160 miles southeast of Shreveport, La. and 220 northwest of New Orleans, La. and has an approximate population of 3,000 with a little more than 80 percent of the town's population being white.
The Idea
Peter Person, senior criminal justice major said the idea came about because "a few of us had been following the incident since about early August late July."
"I found out about [the "Jena 6"] at our Miscarriage of Justice Conference," Person said. "That led me to do my thesis on Affirmative Action and the miscarriage of action."
After listen to nationally syndicated radio talk show host Michael Baisden talk about a march in Jena, La, open to all who wanted to come and show their support, Person expressed his interest in attending to some of his friends.
"I just said I want to go," Person said. "And some of my friends said well okay, let's go."
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