By MAYA MOORE, UConn Journalism
December 14, 2019
Not all incidents of racism that have occurred at the University of Connecticut are as bold as screaming the N‑word in a parking lot. Although the latter inspired an impassioned response from the UConn student body, the “audacious moments” that take place behind the scenes were equally as energizing for a group of organizers that say UConn has reached its tipping point.
In “Audacious Moments, “the first episode of the Tipping Point podcast, I sit down at talk to UConn senior Shelby Felix about her personal experiences with racism on campus and how they served as inspiration for a October 2019 ‘March Against Racism.’ Felix also offered a glimpse into the realities of organizing and mobilizing students.
Listen:
In the next episode of “Tipping Point”, I’ll pick up where I left off in my conversation with Noel Cazenave, a sociology professor at UConn and a staunch supporter of the movement. Then I’ll catch up with UConn Coalition for Collaborative Organizing founder and senior, Kat Morris, who organized a subsequent march focusing on intersectionality on Nov. 19, 2019.
Learn More
Read about the October 2019 racist incident here and here.
Read Prof. Noel Cazenave’s Letter to the Editor here, and UConn President Thomas Katsouleas’ response, here.
The organizers
Shelby Felix is a senior majoring in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences with a Minor in Latino studies. Although Felix is graduating in December 2019, she hopes to pursue a graduate degree at UConn. “I always want to emphasis to people I just happen to be a student who cared enough,” Felix said.
Katharine (Kat) Morris is a senior honors student double majoring in Cognitive Science and Anthropology while working on a Masters in Public Policy in an accelerated program. As a BOLD Scholar in the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, she spent this summer researching Cross-Cultural Engagement and Intersectional Activism Among UConn Affiliates.
Kat is the founder and president of UCCO, the UConn Coalition for Collaborative Organizing.
Her ultimate career goal is to bridge the gap between activism and academia, inspiring positive change along the way.
To learn more about Kat Morris and UCCO you can follow her on Twitter. And Shelby Felix can be reached at shelby.felix@uconn.edu.
The Host
Maya A. Moore is a journalism major and political science minor at the University of Connecticut. She has an interest in topics including race and social justice and wanted to explore the historical importance of this movement at UConn.
Visit my podcast site here.
TOP PHOTO: Students protesting a string of racist incidents at the University of Connecticut on Oct. 21, 2019, shared their own personal experiences with racism on campus. (Photo by Maya Moore)
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