Continuing the student activism seen across campus this month, both the School of Law and the Medical School held die-in demonstrations Wednesday.
Each demonstration involved students and faculty lying on the floor for 4 1/2 minutes—a nod to the 4 1/2 hours Michael Brown's body lay on the ground after the Ferguson, Mo. teenager was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in August. The die-ins follow a similar demonstration led by undergraduates on the Chapel Quadrangle last week, along with a number of other protests that have been held across campus in response to national conversations on police violence and race relations.
The medical school's die in was part of the national #WhiteCoats4BlackLives movement, which involved die in demonstrations at more than 70 medical schools around the country Wednesday.
Students at both the School of Law and the School of Medicine noted a link between the social issues behind the demonstration and their future careers.
"As medical students, we realize we are by default advocates for the health of the community," said second-year medical student Samara Jinks, one of the organizers of the medical school's die-in. "Officers are sworn to serve and protect, and when we put on the white coat, we're sworn to serve and protect as well."
Third-year law student Judea Davis, one of the organizers behind the School of Law's die-in, described a similar connection between the social issues at hand for the law students.
"We thought it was important for the law school to have its own response just because lawyers can be really integral to helping craft solutions to these issues," Davis said.
Following the non-indictments of the police officers involved in the killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York City, Duke students and faculty have held and participated in several demonstrations—including a march the night of the Brown decision and a candlelight vigil the night of the Garner decision. A sign reading "We Can't Breathe," referencing Garner's last words, was affixed to the James B. Duke statue in front of the Chapel earlier this week. In addition, several Duke students were among those arrested in a downtown Durham protest last weekend.
"There's still power in demonstrations and protests," Davis said."This might not lead to legislation, but it might cause people to think introspectively about how they think about these issues and maybe treat people differently."
Students from both the medical and law schools noted the importance of the diversity represented at their respective demonstrations. Expanding the conversation to include a variety of perspectives is key to progress, they said.
"This is people from all races, from different schools, male and female," Davis said. "That's really important, because there's not going to be any lasting change without unity on these issues."
In addition to including diverse voices, acknowledging the different angles of the issue is important, students noted.
"As much as it's an issue of police brutality, of social justice—it's an issue of public health as well," Jinks said.
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