Through respectful dialogue devoid of confrontation, NMU's Criminal Justice Department and Black Student Union organization reached a compromise on a display in the department's office. They agreed that adding a Black Lives Matter flag between existing American and thin blue line flags was the best way to resolve differing interpretations of what the latter symbolizes.
“Talking with Jitte [Okagbare, a BSU liason] was a transformative experience for both of us, and that is the advantage of having a touchpoint where people of goodwill come together to solve problems or to make life better or to engage in civil discourse,” said Criminal Justice Department Head Bob Hanson in a North Wind story. “With Jitte, we started talking about what it would mean to make things better for students of color here at Northern. That was our focus: how can we help each other to understand the concerns of other people in a respectful and civil manner.”
Read the full account of what transpired, written by NMU environmental science major Katarina Rothhorn for The North Wind student newspaper, here.