NCCU responds to alleged assault

A crowd of about 250 students and community members held a vigil Monday night at North Carolina Central University to promote healing.

They gathered to show their support for an NCCU student who alleges she was raped by three Duke men's lacrosse players at a March 13 party.

The case has sparked rallies and protests almost daily at Duke and in the surrounding area.

No charges have been filed.

NCCU's Voice for Planned Parenthood sponsored a Clothesline Project before the vigil, allowing crowd members to sign a banner and T-shirts to address the problem of violence against women.

Speakers at the student-organized vigil included religious leaders, NCCU students and alumni, Duke graduate students and Durham community members.

They spoke hopefully, encouraging students to unify peacefully as a family in the face of adversity.

"We are standing in an effort against sexual assault," NCCU junior Sasha Vann said.

"What is done in the dark will always come out in the light," she said.

A local Durham artist who is also a member of Men Against Rape Culture said he hopes to change the circumstances that often allow rape to happen. He read a piece of his poetry to emphasize his message of an improved sense of community.

"I love to hear people talk about an NCCU family because family is needed, unity is needed... and retaliation is not the answer," he said.

Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, emphasized that those who demand justice in this case "must not be wrongly described as a lynch mob."

Barber also noted the importance of seeking God for guidance and asked the crowd to pray for the accused because they "are suffering themselves from a deep sickness in their souls."

After a moment of silence, organizers offered an opportunity for anyone in the crowd to speak.

An NCCU student who identified herself as a lesbian told the crowd she was once raped by a man. She said people would never expect her to be a victim of sexual assault.

The young woman encouraged others to speak up about their experiences in order to avoid "a life of misery and pain."

A Presbyterian minister who works at NCCU condemned the media's portrayal of the allegations.

"We hear the lacrosse team mentioned in a positive light, and we see the young lady as a stripper, and we won't have it," she said.

Vann said she would like to see the Duke administration punish students for "confirmed" violations, referring specifically to racial slurs heard by neighbors.

Although many have criticized the Duke administration's reaction to the allegations, NCCU senior Larisha Stone said she would like to see the NCCU administration

"take a stance on the issue."

"We want facts, and we want answers from our administration as well," she said.

Rann Bar-on, a third-year graduate student in mathematics at Duke who is known for his work with the Progressive Alliance, noted it was important that Duke students attend the vigil at NCCU.

"I hope that this [controversy] will bring Central and Duke kids together," he said.

NCCU junior Krystal Applewhite said she believed that if the tables were turned, the case would be treated differently."If it was our football team, they'd be in jail right now," she said.

The vigil was the first of many scheduled events to take place on the NCCU campus this week in response to the rape allegations.