![](https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/sites/default/files/2022-01/mlk-hero.jpg)
On June 9, 2020, a coalition of Black organizations and student leaders at NC State circulated a petition online, calling for change in policing on campus following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer and a series of peaceful protests against police brutality in Raleigh, where participants were met with Raleigh Police Department (RPD) officers in riot gear who released tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd.
Several days later, on June 12, 2020, the Nubian Message published a Petition for the Advancement and Support of Black Life at NC State, developed in cooperation with Black student organizations at NC State, in response to a series of incidents of racist hate speech on campus in spring 2020.
One year later, in November 2021, undergraduate student Arana Blake published a column in the Nubian Message titled "NC State Does Not Care About Its Black Students," asking the university to reallocate resources to better support the community spaces, safety, and mental health of Black students, especially in the face of continued incidents of racism on campus, police brutality, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This systemic discrimination perpetuates a cycle of violence that we can no longer afford to endure."