In an effort to unite the community against violent crime, The University of Memphis' Student Government Association will consider a proposal tonight that calls for a "Peace and Unity" day.
If the SGA approves the bill, Nov. 19 will become the date for an annual celebration of peace and unity on The U of M campus.
According to the FBI, Memphis has the highest violent crime rate in America - a fact made real to many University of Memphis students by the recent murder of Taylor Bradford, a U of M football player.
Kenneth Taylor, speaker pro tempore of the SGA and author of the bill, called the bill "relative and timely" and expressed confidence that the SGA would approve the proposal.
"As the representative body of the students of The University of Memphis," he said in the bill, "it is the responsibility of the Student Government Association to address such issues."
Taylor also said the bill would relieve the racial tensions that are found on campus. He cited last year's Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity incident, the Memphis mayoral election and recent controversy over James Davis Mallory's speaking engagement at The U of M as recent examples of racial tension in Memphis.
"We definitely want to do what we can ... to take a time out and relieve the stress of the situations," he said.
Sheron Taylor, president of the Black Student Association, said she thought the bill was important, considering the volatile nature of race relations in Memphis.
"I think (a Peace and Unity Day) is necessary because there are underlying racial tensions. There are not many, but when they do surface, they're big. I feel it is necessary to eliminate the racial tensions," she said.
Kenneth Taylor said he plans to propose two other bills in conjunction with his proposal for a Peace and Unity Day bill. One of the bills will create a committee to explore the idea for a permanent, on-campus memorial for students who have died over the course of The U of M's history.
The other bill calls on The University to participate in the "Tearing Down the Wall" program. The plan is to raise a brick wall on campus where students can write any "hurtful words" people have said to them. Ten days later, on Peace and Unity day, The University will tear down the bricks that "represent all the words that separate us," and hold a ceremony over the rubble.
The exact cost of the wall is not specified, but the bill states that the total cost cannot exceed $4,000.
Many students appreciate the bill's message of peace and unity. Li-Kai Liao, a graduate student in photography, said the wall was a good idea and would help build a sense of unity in the community.
"It can help us to understand each other better and to express our real feelings," she said.
Jessica Gibbons, an SGA senator and chairman of the Environmental Action Committee, said the bill was a good idea.
"I'm in favor of any opportunity to build community on campus," she said.
Sheron Taylor agreed that the brick wall was a good idea, and emphasized the healing and unifying potential of the wall.
"It's a way to break though the derogatory things we say to each other ... and unite the campus," she said.
Other students agreed with Taylor's message, but said they thought the brick wall was a poorly thought out idea.
"It sounds kind of corny," said Jennifer Pope, a junior art major, with a shrug. "But it has a good meaning to it."
