Students at Georgetown stage a sit-in after a student reports racism on campus

Georgetown students gathered at Red Square earlier this evening in a demonstration of solidarity with black students at Mizzou. PHOTO: Sahil Nair

On Saturday, a Georgetown University student who claimed to have been the victim of a hate crime on campus staged a sit-in with classmates. LaHannah Giles and a group of friends were sitting outside the Healey Family Student Center in April when, according to Giles, a white student began shouting racial obscenities from a residence hall window. She reported that the student unleashed a racist tirade against Black people and demanded that they “all die.” Giles filed a report with campus police and submitted mobile phone footage in the hopes that it would aid the inquiry.

Nonetheless, Giles began to worry that the event was not being treated seriously enough when she learned that campus police had misplaced the necessary security tape to identify the student. A combination of students and student organizations began holding sit-ins and protests to raise awareness about the incident shortly thereafter.

At The Sit-In

Students gathered beneath blue banners that said “community in diversity.” Students carried signs reading “Georgetown shields racists” and “We stand united.” Ishan Datey, a member of the Hindu Student Association, stated, “We’re all Hoyas here, and we’re all deserving of fairness and inclusion, and I believe LaHannah paved the road for that.”

According to other students, what happened to Giles was not an unusual incident, and they themselves had experienced it. “A campus where Jewish students are harassed with swastikas and conspiracies, and where Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and East Asian students are frequently stereotyped,” stated a student. Giles is astonished that her peers came to her rescue, but she is not surprised that the situation occurred. “If I’m being entirely candid, I was astonished to see so many people at the sit-in. Giles stated, “I was amazed that people cared about what happened to me.”

Now, around six months after the incident, the students at the sit-in say the university is beginning to make progress. “Just last week, they upgraded what occurred to me from a bias-related incident to a hate crime in response to your pressure,” Giles stated. In an email to the campus community, Georgetown recognized its inadequate response to the incident and pledged to improve the bias reporting system.

A Georgetown University representative stated, “Georgetown is committed to being an inclusive campus that welcomes people of all faiths, colors, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and backgrounds.” We do not accept harassment or discrimination that violates university policies.”

Improving the school’s procedure for reporting bias incidents is one of Giles’ and her allies’ demands. Another argues for the expulsion of the responsible student, notwithstanding his denial of involvement.