Hosted by the UMass Black Student Union, the rally was a means of educating the campus community about the Trayvon Martin case as well as other controversial racially-driven cases according to outgoing BSU president Widlynn Louis. Louis, who helped organize the event, said the main goals of the rally were to raise awareness to incidents like the one involving Trayvon Martin as well encourage and remind students that they have voices and opinions that need to be heard.

“It’s time to speak up,” she said. “People have been too complacent — there are many Trayvon Martin’s but the media has made his face sexy, so to speak.”

Marchers, led by members of the BSU, converged on the Student Union from the five different residential areas on campus, many in sweatshirts with hoods up, reminiscent of the way Trayvon Martin was seen walking the night of his death. Central and Orchard Hill residents marched from the Franklin DC; Northeast, Sylvan, and North Apartments residents from Totman Gymnasium; and Southwest residents from the tunnel leading into the area.

As the groups arrived, they chanted “Protect and serve, that’s a lie – you don’t care when black kids die.” and “No justice, no peace, no racist police.” Once all the marchers were present, a group chant of “We are Trayvon” rang out and was followed by huge applause from the crowd.

Various members of the BSU spoke at the rally, some taking on personas of African-Americans who have been victims of racial discrimination. These stories were from around the country, and many were lower-profile cases that much of the public and most in the crowd were unaware of.

One story was that of Charles Wilhite, a Springfield man convicted in the 2008 murder of Alberto Rodriquez. Wilhite has claimed his innocence since his trial first began, and since the trial, two of the prosecution’s key witnesses have recanted their testimony. Judge Peter Velis has requested an evidentiary trial to review the case. Wilhite’s aunt and uncle were present at the rally.

There were also a number of guest speakers at the event, including activist Rosa Clemente, the Green Party vice presidential candidate in the 2008 Presidential election. She urged everyone in the crowd to remember that as college students and graduates they have the power to create change and bring justice to faceless victims of racial discrimination.

“We are the privileged of our community,” she said. “We have to do something.”

Other speakers included newly-elected Student Government Association president Akshay Kapoor and former SGA president Yevin Roh. Both Kapoor and Roh applauded the students in the crowd for helping to spread racial tolerance and end discrimination. Roh gave a very impassioned speech, reflecting on his own experiences with racial discrimination as an Asian-American. As a tribute to Trayvon Martin, Roh opened an Arizona iced tea and a bag of Skittles, both items Martin was carrying at the time of his murder.

In a rally comprised mostly of compelling stories and statements involving the African-American community, it was one of Roh’s final comments that united the crowd in one of its largest reactions, showing that issues regarding race affect everyone.

“None of us are immune from the cancer that is racism,” Roh said.