Nov. 15, 2016
Thousands in Ellensburg Participate in Peace March
Ellensburg community members are taking a stand against racism.
It's a motto summing up a stand against racism by students at CWU.
Students and faculty are taking action after community members found KKK pamphlets scattered around town.
"I'm horribly disappointed and disheartened by what's going on," said Marte Fallshore, a professor at CWU.
Instead of taking a backseat, the group is taking a stand.
Monday night they marched from the campus union to downtown City Hall where a city proclamation was read, stating the intolerance for racism in the community.
"We're trying to make it so the community knows we don't stand for racism in our community. That we will fight against discrimination. And basically just making our community a safer place,” said Tai Jackson, a student at CWU.
Racism and discrimination is something far too familiar for Jackson.
"Being African American, and Japanese, and a woman- I take a lot of discrimination. A lot of obstacles that I’ve had to overcome and I feel like personally this relates to my life," said Jackson.
The march is a culmination of efforts over the past few months by the CWU community.
They're working to make Kittitas County part of a national campaign called, “Not in Our Town.” It’s a movement to stop hate, address bullying, and build safe and inclusive communities.
"It's not going to be tolerated uh we'll tolerate all that other stuff… but not hate speech and hate crimes."
And the fight isn't over yet.
The university will also host a public forum later this month where the mayor, police, and other keynote speakers will discuss the fight against racism, while CWU students will share their personal testimonies.
For more on this story visit the KIMATV Web site.
For more about Not In Our Kittitas County and future events visit the #NotInOurKittCo website, Facebook, and Twitter.
November 14, 2016