The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 85

Housing Is An Epicenter For Change

have contributed to the campus community remaining divided ten years later. Adding to this
milieu are UIUC's regular efforts to catalog
students' racialized experiences through institution-wide research studies and reports.
Leading up to the social change movement at
UIUC in 2014, students moved through residence halls, classrooms, student centers, and
many other spaces experiencing harmful racialization including microaggressive rhetoric,
artwork, and hearing other students' stories of
survival. Scorned and hurt students sought and
found other passionate community members
with similar experiences, and together decided
to take collective action to address their discontent. At UIUC, students' organizing efforts occurred in and through University Housing.

A NEW MOVEMENT FOR
CHANGE AT UIUC: A STUDENT'S
CALL TO ACTION
In 2014, University Housing became the organizing space for students. As a month of
Black History celebrations drew to a close Feb.
27, 2014, an image of an UIUC student went
viral on Instagram and Twitter that morning.
The image depicted a white female student in a
light gray hoodie with "ZIMMERMAN" in bold
blue letters on her back. Underneath the name
was a picture of a bullseye accompanied by the
phrase, "SHOOT EVERY TARGET" (Figure
1). Black students expressed anger and frustration at what they perceived to be a blatant
act of racism. The timing of the incident also
added an additional layer of emotional trauma
for UIUC students triggered by the death
of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black male,
ruthlessly shot and killed two years earlier by
George Zimmerman in Florida on February

Figure 1
Social Media Image

2012. After Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder, African Americans were
outraged across the nation and #BlackLivesMatter protests emerged because many felt
that the U.S. legal system held little regard for
Black lives. During this time, UIUC Black students developed a new voice, venue, and spirit
for their activism that would alter the campus.
In the wake of the incident, students collectively displayed their rage and frustration on
the Quad. To adequately convey their disgust
for this racially hostile occurrence and several
others, some students suggested shaming
and isolating this student with posters of her
picture. Students agonized over the impact of
the sweatshirt. A sense of hopelessness, worthlessness, and confusion permeated the psyche
of UIUC Black students as they shared the
impact. Their statements included:
"Rage immediately overwhelmed every part of
my being."
"This image sparked such a tempered flame
in the pit of my stomach that I knew I could
not just let another racist incident go by
without real Black student action."

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3