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“In a world this dark, a lynching story isn’t as striking as it should be to get a reaction on a college campus,” Rebecka McAleer, freshman theatre major, said. “It’s hard to get someone’s attention with things like that.”

Mixed feelings surround monologue on lynching

 “In a world this dark, a lynching story isn’t as striking as it should be to get a reaction on a college campus,” Rebecka McAleer, freshman theatre major, said. “It’s hard to get someone’s attention with things like that.”

 McAleer is not alone. Many students had little to no comment on the presentation of a lynching story on campus.

 Dr. Patrick Sims, theatre and drama professor, will perform his monologue “10 Perfect: A Lynching Survivor’s Story” at 6 p.m. in the Student Union ballroom.
 This piece is based on the story of James Cameron, whom Dr. Sims says is the only known survivor of lynching in American history.

 “I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Cameron in 1998 at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, a center he founded to educate people about the atrocities committed against Africans and African–Americans,” Dr. Sims said in press materials. “As a civil rights pioneer, he dedicated his life to ending racism and promoting racial reconciliation ‐ yet so few of us were aware that he lived to tell his story.”

 Cameron’s story is very important to Dr. Sims, who has devoted a lot of time to producing his monologue.

 “In an effort to preserve Mr. Cameron’s legacy, I have spent the past 12 years of my life developing a solo performance,” Dr. Sims said. “Inspired by Cameron’s near‐death experience, “10 Perfect” is a compelling blend of fact and fiction that takes us on a journey of what happened on the night of August 7, 1930 and so many other nights that we will never know about.”

 Some students see this as a chance for students to gain awareness to such graphic events in American history.

  “I hope it will bring awareness of what happened and sometimes still happens to this day but is not as prevalent,” Jessica Moebs, freshman undecided major, said.
 Sean Walsh, sophomore biology major, agrees.

  “It would certainly awaken a deep emotional mood amongst different students who are fascinated by the acts of brutality towards the victims of such acts,” he said.
 Other students feel the presentation will be interesting, but most do not anticipate widespread reaction.

 “It’s a good idea,” Bonnie Acree, freshman undecided major, said. “It’ll probably be shocking, but I honestly don’t think many people will care because stuff like that doesn’t really happen anymore. But if I was in town, I would go see it.”

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