Jena Six Injustice Shines Spotlight on Racism, Community Response

September 28, 2007

By Lisa Bennett, Communications Director, and Sarah Smalls, Policy Intern

NOW activists joined thousands at a rally for the Jena 6 outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on September 20. Photo by Lateshia Beachum

It started with nooses, and before it was over, six African American high school students were in jail, charged with attempted murder over a schoolyard fight that had resulted in only minor injuries. The events that took place in the small town of Jena, La., during the past year stand as evidence of ongoing racism in our society and discrimination within our justice system.

Women, including the mothers and family members of the teens now called the Jena Six, are leaders of the grassroots movement calling for justice in this predominantly white town. These women ensured that a defense fund was established, organized a local NAACP chapter, and have organized protest rallies in support of the young men.

One of the largest demonstrations took place on Sept. 20 when thousands of supporters from all over the U.S. marched through the streets of Jena in peaceful protest chanting "Enough is Enough" and wearing "I am the Jena 6" t-shirts. Those unable to travel to Louisiana participated in actions across the country in solidarity with the marchers in Jena. NOW leaders, members, staff and interns took part in a rally outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

"It is important for us to be here today adding our voice to the struggle to end racism. No one organization can win this fight, and unity among organizations joining with the people's movement is the only way to make change," said NOW Action Vice President Melody Drnach.

African American media outlets, including bloggers and radio hosts, kept the story in the news. This commitment to justice for the Jena Six finally led to both public support and coverage by "mainstream" media. Turnout for the rally is one visible result of those efforts.

The chain of events began in August of 2006 when an African American student at Jena High School asked at a school assembly whether he could sit under a tree on campus that had been treated as the domain of white students only. The principal responded that the student could sit wherever he wanted. The next day, nooses were found hanging from the "white tree."

The principal recommended expulsion for the three white students who hung the nooses, but the board of education overruled the principal. The school superintendent agreed, saying: "Adolescents play pranks. I don't think it was a threat against anybody."

During the following months a number of troubling events occurred: A wing of the school was burned down in a still unsolved case of arson; a black student who showed up at a party attended mostly by whites was beaten by a white male; a white student pulled out a shotgun in a confrontation with several young black students at a convenience store. In several incidents along the way, the punishments administered were far more severe for the black students.

The building tension culminated in a schoolyard fight on Dec. 4 involving a white student and a group of black students, all male. The white student, who allegedly taunted and used racial slurs against one of the black students, was knocked down, punched and kicked. He was taken to the hospital for a concussion and swollen eye, released after several hours, and attended a school function later that night.

Six male African-American students were arrested after the fight, and five were charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder. The district attorney asserted that the boys' sneakers were "lethal weapons," despite the fact that there were no serious injuries. Although two of the students were underage at the time, only one was charged as a juvenile.

With bail set high, the families of the young men were forced to sell properties and borrow from relatives to raise money to free their sons. One student, Mychal Bell, a juvenile, remained in jail for ten months because his family could not raise bail for him.

Charges for four of the students were subsequently dropped to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit battery. Bell, the only one of the Jena Six to be tried thus far, was convicted of those charges by an all-white jury. A state appeals court threw out the conviction, saying Bell should not have been tried as an adult. On Sept. 27, the district attorney announced that he would not appeal the ruling and will now charge Bell in juvenile court; Bell was released from jail that same day.

Prominent civil rights leaders — including Martin Luther King III, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. E. Faye Williams and Rev. Al Sharpton — have spoken out on behalf of the Jena Six, claiming the criminal charges were racially based.

"The town has been divided pretty much for a long length of time, and it really has been divided even farther apart now since this incident has happened," said Caseptla Bailey, a mother of one of the Jena Six , in published reports. "A lot of people don't want to take their heads out of the sand and say, you know, we have a problem. They want to walk around with blinders on."

Donations to the Jena Six Defense Fund should be sent to: PO Box 2798 , Jena, La. 71342 . NOW also encourages its members to attend local rallies and to continue the fight to end racism.