Black at Middlebury: Students criticize President Patton’s email, demand action

Black at Middlebury: Students criticize President Patton’s email, demand action

An email from the Office of the President regarding the murder of George Floyd and the national racial unrest sparked outrage and criticism from students, alumni, and faculty. Students from the club "Concerned Students at Middlebury College" (CSOM) wrote a response to President Patton's email that was widely circulated around social media, which addressed the fact that Middlebury has been complicit in many racist occurrences on campus (" These instances included a lack of action following insensitive comments at the Martin Luther King Today event in 2016, the invitation of Charles Murray in 2017 and 2020 and the invitation of Ryszard Legutko in 2019). CSOM received 1781 endorsements from students, alumni, and faculty.

Myles Maxie '22- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Gifty Atanga '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Charice Lawrence '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Andres Oyaga '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Daleelah Saleh '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Jarlenys Mendez '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Kaitlyn Velazquez '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer

The Campus

06/15/2020

Myles Maxie '22- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Gifty Atanga '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Charice Lawrence '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Andres Oyaga '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Daleelah Saleh '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Jarlenys Mendez '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer
Kaitlyn Velazquez '23- Student, Concerned Students of Middlebury College Co-Organizer

"'This is another instance of having to point out problematic-ness, and students who are at school to be students having to become teachers,' Maxie said. 'For me, it’s fine. But it’s also not really my job as a person of color to have to consistently teach others how to properly address the concerns of students of color and of marginalized communities.'"