Organizing for social justice on campus

This collection was created by students under the direction of Dr. Thomas J. Howarth as part of their Critical Citizenship and Community Service LBST 2301 classes in the 2019-2020 academic year. The focus of the class was to capture first-hand accounts to document social justice organizing efforts on UNC Charlotte’s campus during the previous four to five years. Three initiatives are represented in the collection: the creation of Peace Haven, a meditation space that resulted from combined efforts of the Muslim Student Association in conjunction with the Interfaith Niners; on-campus protests organized by the Black Student Union with other student groups in response to the police-involved shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in 2016; and community action organized by student group Customer 49 to protest actions and policies of UNC Charlotte and the administrators of the UNC System.

Fazeela Babar oral history interview, 2019 November 19
Fazeela Babar, a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, shares her experience with Peace Haven, (also known as the Cone Meditation Space), the Muslim Student Association and her knowledge of InterFaith Niners and their initiative to create Peace Haven. Ms. Babar gives details about her experience at Peace Haven and how her daily routine has been impacted by the creation of the space. Other topics discussed include why the space was created and how it was designed, how the space is maintained and who visits space, the items needed for Muslim students to pray, the coexistence of different religions in Peace Haven, and the growth of the Muslim community at UNC Charlotte.
Sageda Elabed oral history interview, 2019 November 15
Sageda Elabed, a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a member of the Muslim Student Association, discusses how Peace Haven, (also known as the Cone Meditation Space), has a personal significance to all Muslim students and gives them a private place to perform their prayers on campus. Ms. Elabed shares that all students are welcome in the meditation space and that meditation spaces are becoming more common on college campuses. She ends the interview by inviting students to come visit the Peace Haven.
Jada Flowers oral history interview, 2020 March 23
In this interview, Jada Flowers shares her experience as the Vice President of the Black Student Union at UNC Charlotte. She also discusses her views on racial justice, especially how it may have changed after Keith Lamont Scott was killed by a police officer in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2016. In addition Ms. Flowers recalls how she felt during her transition from a majority African American/Black high school to UNC Charlotte during her freshman year. She also touches on the April 30, 2019 UNC Charlotte shooting, and on how the COVID-19 outbreak that was ongoing at the time of the interview was impacting racist views and affecting jobs and education.
Alex Jutila oral history interview, 2019 October 29
Alex Jutila, a former student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and co-founder of Customer 49, a student activist group active from 2015-2018, explains how he started Customer 49 with Noe Pliego Campos. Topics discussed include the mission of Customer 49, their efforts to educate students about the finances behind higher education, and their concerns about the instating of Margaret Spellings as President of the UNC system in 2016. Mr. Jutila shares the various protests and projects that Customer 49 participated in and how the organization lost structure towards the end of his time at UNC Charlotte.
Jagir Pipalia oral history interview, 2019 November 8
Jagir Pipalia, President of YesPlus (a meditation club at UNC Charlotte) and co-founder of Interfaith Niners, describes the history of Peace Haven, a meditation space established in the Cone Center in 2017. Mr. Pipalia shares his experience as President of YesPlus, a club that offered guided meditation several times a week and organized retreats for students to attend. He describes how the President of the Muslin Student Association (MSA) reached out to him during his leadership of YesPlus to inquire about reserving a meditation space for the MSA. He then relates how he and the MSA President formed a separate group called the Interfaith Niners and drew up a petition to request a meditation space on campus. When their request wasn't heard, they decided to organize a peaceful protest where students from all around campus sat in front of the Fretwell building. Mr. Pipalia relates that the protests finally convinced the University administration to provide the meditation space. During the interview he also discusses how the Peace Haven meditation space is used, why students need it, and the obstacles and prejudice that religious students face.
Joshua Shepherd oral history interview, 2019 October 21
Joshua Shepherd, who at the time of the interview was the President of the 2019-2020 Black Student Union at UNC Charlotte, discusses the protests on campus and in Uptown Charlotte that followed the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott on September 20 2016. Mr. Scott was an African American man who was shot and killed outside an apartment complex close to the UNC Campus. Mr. Shepherd explains why and how he got involved with the protests after the shooting, and his subsequent role in the Black Student Union at UNC Charlotte. He also discusses his perceptions of and involvement in the larger black community, and the way that police brutality, injustice, and racism have shaped his experience as a black man in America.