Rivers Langley; SaveRivers
The president of Talladega College, a historically black institution in Alabama, announced Thursday that the school’s marching band will perform in President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural parade on Jan. 20.
Talladega, a college founded in 1867 by former slaves, was the only historically black college or university invited to participate in Trump’s inaugural celebrations in Washington, DC.
Student and alumni have clashed over the possibility, with petitions circulating that were both in favor of and against the band’s performance.
“We respect and appreciate how our students and alumni feel about our participation in this parade,” said Talladega College President Billy Hawkins in a press release.
“As many of those who chose to participate in the parade have said, we feel the inauguration of a new president is not a political event but a civil ceremony celebrating the transfer of power," he added.
Hampton University President William Harvey echoed Hawkins in the release, saying that Talladega's participation “will be a wonderful learning experience for the students in the band."
“It will be a teachable moment for them to understand the importance of supporting the leader of the free world, despite one's political viewpoint,” Harvey added.
“After all, the reason for being of any college or university should be to promote learning and not to enhance apolitical agenda.”
LINK: A Historically Black College Is Torn Over Trump’s Invitation To Perform At The Inaugural Parade
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/2hV5KIa
No comments:
Post a Comment