Students, faculty and staff gathered on the Lower Quad Friday afternoon to participate in a rally hosted by the Anti-Racism Coalition.

The event, organized in the last 24 hours in light of a recent incident of a racial slur written on a campus sidewalk, encouraged chants like, “We want change,” and “Stand up,” in an effort to bring the community together.

Amy Finnegan, chair and assistant professor of the Justice and Peace department and Anti-Racism Coalition member, said that the coalition is trying to “undo racism,” and the rally was an effort to “stand in solidarity against racism.”

“I think today’s purpose is mostly about solidarity and community building and people coming together and saying, ‘We don’t stand for this,’” Finnegan said.

It is important that we as a community listen to each other and stop racist acts, she added.

“We have a passive tolerance … for racist comments that go unchecked. I just think that perpetuates a culture where it’s OK to do — to say and do racist acts — and so I think we need to interrupt that,” Finnegan said.

Genevieve Gates, a senior at St. Thomas, spoke at the rally and apologized for the racist acts of others.

“I have a lot of people of color that I care about very deeply, and I also acknowledge that a lot of white students don’t feel comfortable speaking about these things. And I kind of have given up on the silence part of it, so that’s why I’m involved in it right now,” Gates said.

While Gates said that the turnout could have been more, she is very pleased with how the event went.

“I’m very proud of the people that did come and I’m very proud of all the white faces that I saw,” Gates said. “It’s very inspiring to know that there’s a group of people that cares.”

First-year student Janelle Alba Garner said that it was encouraging to see the amount of support the rally gained, but she also believes that vast majority of people at St. Thomas stand for the common good.

“I mean, I’m pretty outgoing, so I’ve met a lot of people, and most of campus is not like this,” Alba Garner said. “You gotta get to know all the good people that are around here.”

Margaret Conley, a first-year student at St. Thomas, said that this rally makes her want to fight more for the equality and acceptance of everyone.

“I didn’t notice [racism] that much before, but then this experience has just, like, brought a lot of underlying tones to my eyes,” Conley said. “This is everyone’s home. It’s not just certain people’s homes, like we all live here, we all wanna feel accepted.”

In lieu of recent events, Gates said that ignorance and fear play big roles in a lot of things that happen on campus and that talking to people is one step in the right direction.

“What’s most important is just talking to people,” Gates said. “Being absolutely unafraid to be yourself and be honest and be loving and making mistakes, being better and committing yourself to a life of love and justice — I think that’s the most important.”

Noura Elmanssy can be reached at elma7206@stthomas.edu