Your recent story regarding the missing funds from the Blackburn Takeover protest not only features incorrect information but completely dismisses pertinent facts. For starters, Deja Redding is not a Howard Alumna, she never even attended Howard University.
A lot of context is missing from the article, regarding where the miscalculated $10,000 went. A lot of people seem to have forgotten that The Live Movement was also responsible for sustaining the over 100 students that participated in the occupation on a daily basis, with three meals a day. They also took it upon themselves to feed not only their supporters, but other students on campus who were affected by the closure of the Blackburn cafeteria. Feeding that many students, three times a day, for over a month, takes a lot of money. The money also went towards other forms of support, such as toiletries, tents and other sleeping supplies and other basic living necessities.
It’s not a mystery where the funds went, it’s extremely clear to anyone who bothered to pay attention beyond the first week of the takeover, or did even a few minutes of research.
Many of the articles that have been put out lately by The Hilltop regarding the Blackburn Protest seems to be hellbent on discrediting the protest and the individuals involved, and their efforts. The Hilltop’s reputation means that their reporters should hold themselves to a higher standard of journalism, instead of interviewing irrelevant sources who had nothing to do with the financial side of the protest, and can only give half the story at best.
There is no excuse for the poor journalism displayed within this article, especially one coming from the nation’s oldest Black college newspaper.
Tyler Davis is a former Blackburn Takeover protester and student of Howard University. Davis currently attends American University.
Editor’s note: Deja Redding’s educational status has since been corrected to reflect that she is a graduate student at George Mason University. The Hilltop erroneously reported that Redding was an alumna of Howard University.
Copy edited by Jasper Smith
