Classes resumed at Claremont McKenna College following a day of reflection and discussion, with classes and other events cancelled on Wednesday, March 10.
Classes were cancelled following the commission on Tuesday, March 9, of a hate crime in which the car of a CMC faculty member was vandalized following the faculty member's participation in a campus forum, Free Speech vs. Hate Speech. The car's windows were broken, tires were slashed, and the body of the vehicle was spray painted with racial, gender, and religious epithets.
The Claremont Police have classified this incident as a hate crime. Urging every member of The Claremont Colleges community to cooperate with the police investigation, President Pamela Gann announced that CMC will offer a $10,000 reward to anyone who comes forward with information leading to the solving of this crime.
In canceling classes, President Gann urged "every single person in this community to follow his or her conscience, and to start a process of regaining control of our community. In this way, we can hope to tell the perpetrators that they will in the end be defeated and repudiated."
During the course of this semester, The Claremont Colleges have experienced several disturbing and unacceptable hate incidents, and have worked closely together to investigate and, where known, discipline those responsible. These actions have been publicly condemned, and a number of events and forums have been organized to educate our entire community.
"Apathy toward hatred is not acceptable in any situation, but a passive response to the recent events in Claremont is no longer acceptable either," said Gann. "It is time for every member of The Claremont Colleges community to act to reclaim our campuses."
Events of Wednesday, March 10 included:
10:00 am: Office of Black Student Affairs Press Conference
11:00 am: Lunch at Collins Dining Hall, CMC, hosted by OBSA.
12:00 pm: Sit-in Show of Solidarity in the center of North Quad at CMC.
6:30 pm: Lecture by civil rights attorney and activist Connie Rice, NAACP Legal Education Fund, on guaranteeing Community Justice: Making Every Voice Count, Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum. Free and open to the public.
7:15 pm: Students and community members convene on individual college campuses for the march.
7:30 pm: Assembled College Communities walk toward Parents Field in the Center of the Claremont McKenna campus.
8:00 - 8:30 pm: Five College Community Rally at Parents Field, CMC.
8:30 pm or End of Rally: A multitude of forums, discussions, and reflection sessions at various campus sites.