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Building Institutional Knowledge to Transform the Culture of the University of Denver
ACTS OF COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
Present - 1968
Cover Photo Credit: DU While Native
PUBLIC FORUM HOSTED BY NATIVE STUDENT ALLIANCE
2022
Photo Credit: Native Student Alliance
On April 29th, 2022, the Native Student Alliance hosted a Public Forum to discuss the tipi vandalism and its impact on Native and Indigenous community members at the University of Denver. This event also included a review of the Chancellor’s public announcement regarding the vandalism.
RIGHTEOUS ANGER. HEALING RESISTANCE.
2020
Photo Credit: Grace G.
Righteous Anger. Healing Resistance. or RAHR is "an unofficial student-led group at the University of Denver fighting for justice in our community." The group calls attention to the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and students of color (BIPOC) to advocate for the implementation of more inclusive and equitable practices at the University of Denver.
In the fall of 2020, RAHR hosted a march to bring attention to their movement and make DU aware of their demands. Furthermore, the protest doubled as a display of solidarity with the BLM protests over the summer of 2020. To watch the official video from the protest, please click here.
WE CAN DU BETTER
2020
Photo Credit: Unknown
The Instagram page @wecanDUbetter was created to tell the stories of DU’s survivors of sexual violence and call for administrative action.
The Instagram page has acquired a large following and acted as the inspiration behind the creation of the national Do Better Campaign.
The Do Better Campaign is a national platform on Instagram created for survivors throughout the country to share their stories.
DECOLONIZE DU
2020
Photo Credit: Decolonize DU
Decolonize DU is a student-led movement introduced in March 2020.
The opening paragraph of their letter to DU administration reads:
"We are students of the University of Denver who are in pursuit to use our voices to define a new future. We are here to invite those in power to work toward decolonizing this campus and to create change and equity for all people. We are here to shape our futures."
Along with a list of demands, their website offers educational resources and blog posts informing the community about action steps toward and the necessity of decolonization on DU's campus.
"We are asking the University of Denver and all its community to face hard truths about our history and our present in order to create a better future. We do this so, collectively, we can craft a community that feels welcomed and heard not excluded and silenced. As students, we strive to create, in the name of education, with the hope of positively impacting the world. The University of Denver asks us to produce work under the banner of a mascot that represents ongoing historical oppression. How can students, staff, and the wider community trust DU as an institution of change when they cannot even change themselves?"
To read Decolonize DU's official letter to the DU administration, click here.
RAZA UNIDA
2018
Photo Credit: The Clarion - Victoria V.
A rally called "Raza Unida" was hosted by the LatinX Student Alliance (LSA) to create a space for the community to voice their experiences and come together. Raza Unida was held after an anonymous email circulated that targeted a specific DU community member and made repulsive remarks toward those with marginalized identities.
Raza Unida was a celebration of identity and an act of solidarity against hate.
#NOMOREPIOS
2018
Photo Credit: DU While Native by Grace G.
In March of 2018, DU Student Activists (DUSA) and Native Student Alliance (NSA) hosted a ‘blackout’ at the last home game of DU’s hockey team. Each time that the team scored, the protestors would hold up a sign that read: “Pioneers stole Indian land and killed Indian people. #NoMorePios.” The protest demanded that DU remove the pioneer moniker.
The protestors reported intimidation and fear of their safety following the event.
SANCTUARY CAMPUS MOVEMENT
2017
Photo Credit: Unknown
Students, faculty, and staff marched on January 19th, 2017, to demand that DU become a sanctuary campus.
Signs from the protest read:
"Education and not deportation"
"DU without borders"
"#sanctuarycampus"
Chancellor Chopp declared that the University would not be a sanctuary campus, actively ignoring the desires of the students.
PROTEST AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY & RACISM
2016
Photo Credit: Andrew R.
Black Graduate Student Association and Student Advocates for Institutional Change organized a 16-minute die-in to bring awareness to the physical and mental health implications of acts of racism and bias. Each minute represented the sixteen bullets that struck Laquan McDonald after being shot by a Chicago police officer.
That same year, the Black Out for Black Lives silent protest was held. Attendees were instructed to wear black in solidarity. The protestors met at Driscoll Bridge and shared a ten-minute moment of silence for those whose lives were lost due to police brutality.
NATIVE STUDENT ALLIANCE RALLY
2015
No photo.
In 2015, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Delta Delta Delta Sorority hosted a party themed "Cowboys and Indians." Some attendees of non-native descent were dressed in "phony headdresses, face paint, loincloths and all manner of stereotypical viciousness."
In response to the harm caused by the event on DU's Native community, DU's Native Student Alliance hosted an event to address the implications of the party and provide a space for dialogue and education. The aforementioned fraternity and sorority attended and agreed to read their apologies. The event was seen as the first step in facilitating important conversations while highlighting DU's disconnect and disregard for their Native community members.
To watch a video from the event, click here.
ARAMARK CORPORATIONS AND SODEXO INVESTIGATION
2014
No photo.
In 2014, Aramark Corporations, a partner of DU, received allegations of the mistreatment of workers who claimed to be experiencing intimidation, denial of sick leave, and harsh working conditions.
Claims of the mistreatment came from the workers themselves.
In response, the Latino Student Alliance (LSA) created a petition to demand that DU begin a "full, comprehensive investigation" of Aramark Corporations. The petition received over one thousand signatures and an investigation by DU ensued. At this time, we are unaware of the investigation's results as information about its findings could not be found.
Similarly, in 2017, law students of the University of Denver created a petition to demand that DU reconsider their relationship with Sodexo after workers' rights violations came to light. Workers reported instances of low wages, poor working conditions, and harassment of unionization.
DIVEST DU
2014, 2020
Photo Credit: University of Denver Archives & Divest DU
In 2014, students occupied the Driscoll Bridge, forcing Chancellor Chop's inauguration procession to walk through their occupation. They demanded that DU divest from fossil fuels.
Chancellor Jeremy Haefner recently declined 2020 requests from Divest DU to divest in fossil fuels.
NO DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE (DAPL)
2013
Photo Credit: DU While Native
Native Student Alliance hosts a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) as a display of solidarity with the water protectors at Standing Rock after DU hosted the 2016 Pipeline Leadership Conference. The No DAPL protest was one of the largest protests in DU’s history, next to that of the Iraq War protest and the Vietnam War protest before that. The morning of the DAPL protest, DU administration changed the campus protest policy to actively suppress the protest initiative. Denver Police were called to provide security for the conference participants. No security was provided for the protestors.
PROTEST OF THE GULF WAR
1991
Photo Credit: University of Denver Archives
DU students and community members protested the US’ involvement in the Gulf War in 1990.
TINANANMEN SQUARE PROTEST
1989
Photo Credit: University of Denver Archives
In 1989, after the death of political reformist Hu Yoabang, over 100,000 protestors met in Tiananmen Square.The protestors consisted primarily of international students studying in America.
IN RESPONSE TO KENT STATE SHOOTING AND THE VIETNAM WAR
1970
Photo Credit: University of Denver Archives
Students from the University of Denver banded together to protest the Vietnam War and the Kent State shooting, creating what is now known as "Woodstock West." The protestors, consisting of nearly 12,000 individuals, established a campsite that occupied the land on which Anderson Academic Commons now stands. The camp was demolished twice by the Denver Police Department and the National Guard and rebuilt each time by the protestors.
The University of Denver Archives exhibit called “#RESIST - STUDENT ACTIVISM @ DU” states:
“Woodstock West" became a campsite that an estimated 12,000 students, faculty, staff, and Denver residents built on land that is now the Anderson Academic Commons. The camp was dismantled twice by the Denver Police Force as well as the National Guard, but was rebuilt by the protesters."
PROTEST OF GEORGE WALLACE
1968
No Photo.
In 1968, students belonging to the DU chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) met at the Denver capitol to protest the arrival of George Wallace, a known segregationist and the 45th governor of Alabama. According to the University of Denver Archives, “Protesters carried signs likening Wallace to Adolf Hitler, shouting: “Sieg Heil!” The protesters were so disruptive and loud that Wallace was forced to leave the stage and abandon his speech.”
LEARN MORE
#RESIST - STUDENT ACTIVISM @ DU
University of Denver Archives
"Student activism on American college campuses, including the University of Denver (DU), rose significantly with the onset of the women’s movement, civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and related social movements. In the past decade, both on the DU campus and beyond, social media has played a major role in activist movements, providing activists with a platform to highlight injustice, build community, and rally people to their cause. Where relevant, hashtags for protest actions are included in image captions."
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