The Rock is a large dolomite boulder on the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee. [1] It is a prominent part of student life and campus culture, and is often painted with murals or political messages. [2] These include many paintings of mascots, coaches, and protest artwork for various causes. [3]
The Rock was originally unearthed in 1966 during construction work. [2]
The tradition of painting the boulder began in the early 1980s, and after a brief attempt to keep it graffiti free, the university administration decided in 1982 to cease the removal of graffiti unless it was considered offensive. This prompted a discussion surrounding the freedom of speech implications of selectively removing messages. The university decided to depend on the student body to regulate the appearance of the Rock, a policy which has been in place since. [4]
In 2009, it was moved from its original location to the lawn of the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center to make room for an expansion of the Student Health Center, a distance of about 275 feet. The relocation involved a specialized flatbed truck, and took more than 13 hours. [5]
In the aftermath of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting, a memorial painted on the Rock was defaced with a swastika and the words "Stronger through Hate." [6] Since early 2017, there had been several other incidents of hate speech being promoted on the Rock, including the words "white pride" being written on the boulder. [6] It is thought that the far-right Traditionalist Worker Party was responsible, as the abbreviation TWP was included in one of the messages. After both incidents, the student body responded by painting over the messages. [6]
In response, the University of Tennessee installed a 24/7 livestream of the Rock as a "symbol that our community is taking collective responsibility for the Rock". [5]
Graffiti is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.
The Lennon Wall or John Lennon Wall, located at Velkopřevorské náměstí, Malá Strana, is a historic legal graffiti wall in Prague, Czechia. After the 1980 murder of John Lennon a mural of Lennon was painted by an unknown artist onto the wall and as more people expanded upon it, the wall slowly became a place for free expression of then communist Czechoslovakia. It has historically been used for demonstrations and carries a central theme of John Lennon, but it also features designs relating to local and global causes such as global warming. The wall has also inspired other walls across the globe, such as the Hong Kong Lennon wall.
A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can be passed over.
White pride and white power are expressions primarily used by white separatist, white nationalist, fascist, neo-Nazi, and white supremacist organizations in order to signal racist or racialist viewpoints. It is also a slogan used by the prominent post-Ku Klux Klan group Stormfront and a term used to make racist/racialist viewpoints more palatable to the general public who may associate historical abuses with the terms white nationalist, neo-Nazi, and white supremacist.
The Rock is a large pudding stone on the campus of Michigan State University, which has been painted with messages by campus groups since the 1960s. Unearthed in 1873, and installed on the campus by the class of 1873, the Rock became known as a site for engaged and married couples in the 1910s. Nicknamed the "Engagement Rock" in the 20th century, its purpose shifted in the 1960s and 1970s when graffiti began to appear on it for protest and promotional purposes.
A speech code is any rule or regulation that limits, restricts, or bans speech beyond the strict legal limitations upon freedom of speech or press found in the legal definitions of harassment, slander, libel, and fighting words. Such codes are common in the workplace, in universities, and in private organizations. The term may be applied to regulations that do not explicitly prohibit particular words or sentences. Speech codes are often applied for the purpose of suppressing hate speech or forms of social discourse thought to be disagreeable to the implementers.
The Bromfield School is a public school located in Harvard, Massachusetts. Founded in 1878 by Margaret Bromfield Blanchard, the school's student population is approximately 750, in grades 6–12. There are 57 teachers, with a student/faculty ratio of about 1 to 13.
The Rock is a boulder on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, United States, located in between University Hall and Harris Hall. It serves as a billboard for campus groups and events, and has been painted with different colors and messages over the years.
George Keene Schweitzer was an American academic in chemistry and family history and local history. He also studied history of science and philosophy of science, for which he was awarded the Sc.D.
Historians continue to study and debate the extent of antisemitism in American history and how American antisemitism has similarities and distinctions with its European counterpart.
Antisemitism has long existed in the United States. Most Jewish community relations agencies in the United States draw distinctions between antisemitism, which is measured in terms of attitudes and behaviors, and the security and status of American Jews, which are both measured by the occurrence of specific incidents. FBI data shows that in every year since 1991, Jews were the most frequent victims of religiously motivated hate crimes. The number of hate crimes against Jews may be underreported, as in the case for many other targeted groups.
Henri Grissino-Mayer was a tenured faculty member in the department of Geography at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville who resigned in lieu of termination on Oct. 1st, 2018 due to his own admission of sexual misconduct at the school.
Antisemitism in Canada is the manifestation of hatred, hostility, harm, prejudice or discrimination against the Canadian Jewish people or Judaism as a religious, ethnic or racial group.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, it is the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system, with ten undergraduate colleges and eleven graduate colleges. It hosts more than 30,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
Jimmy G. Cheek is Chancellor Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Higher Education in Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and Former Director of the Postsecondary Education Research Center. He is also Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida. As the state's flagship research campus, UT Knoxville is currently ranked as a Top 50 public institution.
The Cannon is a replica of a cannon from USS Constitution on the campus of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, located in between Goddard Chapel and Ballou Hall. It serves as a billboard for campus activities and groups, and has been utilized as the basis for social and political campus movements.
Cofiwch Dryweryn is a graffitied stone wall near Llanrhystud, Ceredigion, Wales. Author and journalist Meic Stephens originally painted the words onto the wall of a ruined cottage in the early 1960s after Liverpool City Council decided to start the Tryweryn flooding, including the community of Capel Celyn, to create the Llyn Celyn reservoir. Due to its prominent location, stark message, and history of repeated vandalism, the wall has become an unofficial landmark of mid Wales. The phrase "Cofiwch Dryweryn" has itself become a prominent political slogan for Welsh nationalism, appearing on T-shirts and banners, and as replica murals.
Pier Paolo Spinazzé, also known by the pseudonym Cibo, is an Italian antifascist and street artist who uses murals to cover neo-fascist graffiti in Verona. He began using his murals in this way after one of his classmates was killed by a group of neo-fascists; his art typically depicts Italian cuisine.
The Rock is a boulder in Ann Arbor, Michigan, near the campus of the University of Michigan. The Rock was installed in 1932 at the personal direction of Eli Gallup, longtime Ann Arbor parks superintendent and namesake of Gallup Park. The Rock was initially placed in honor of George Washington's 200th birthday, and the small triangular parcel holding the rock was officially named George Washington Park in 1993. The Rock was first painted in the 1950s, and continues to be repainted regularly by students and the general public.
#NotAgainSU is a hashtag and student led organization that began after several racist incidents occurred on the campus of Syracuse University, during the academic course of 2019-2021. Initial reports of racist paraphernalia occurred early November in the dorm buildings of first- and second-year undergraduate students. After nearly a month of daily reports, Syracuse students organized a sit-in where they occupied, and created an elaborate list of 19 demands for Chancellor Kent Syverud to sign. After several protests, some taking place at his persona residence, the list was signed with few revisions on November 21.
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