When Darrius Avery heard IU Indianapolis canceled a decades-old tradition celebrating civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a campus dinner, he was devastated.So the senior finance student decided to organise a protest sunday to honor King’s legacy.
“Regrettably, I wasn’t shocked. It was more so like this falls in line with the policies that have been implemented here at IU Indianapolis,” he said about the cancellation.
Avery was planning to attend the dinner for the first time. He said campus culture has shifted in the last year due to broad policy revisions and funding cuts to programs critically important to minorities.
“It’s not tolerated. We don’t want it,” he said of the changes. “I think most IU students and alumni can actually stand with me when I say that. This is more than just the dinner.”
At least 25 people showed up for the “eat-in” — where people gathered to have a meal and talk. In the early 1960s, nonviolent sit-in campaigns were used by students across the country to call for civil rights. Avery first set up at the Campus Centre, but facilities staff told the group to move to another building due to university rules around meetings and food, so they relocated.
“I feel like our campus leadership fell short. They fell short
