Die-In at Duffield

Students littered into Duffield Hall this afternoon to stage a 15-minute die-in followed by several minutes of chanting slogans like “black lives matter” and “hands up, don’t shoot.” The event was organized by Cornell’s chapter of the the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).

Approximately 150 students partook in the die-in, which lasted specifically 15 minutes because Eric Garner uttered “I can’t breathe” 11 times on video and Michael Brown’s body lay on the street for four hours before being removed.

While most participating students lay in silence, three students, ostensibly leaders of NSBE, read aloud the names of black scientists and engineers along with their respective discoveries and inventions.

It appeared no one unaffiliated with the die-in joined the protesting students. Students at Duffield prior to the 12:00 pm event merely looked on and returned to studying; final exams begin tomorrow.

Planning and marketing for the event was in part aided by Ujamaa, the African and black cultural living center on North campus. An excerpt from an email sent out by Ujamaa Residence Hall Director Theoria M. Carson is pictured below.