Call My Name Resistance Tour: Sikes Sit-In

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On April 13, 2016 the Sikes Sit-In began when students flooded the halls, outraged about what had happened.

And what had happened was that bananas were hung on the "African Americans at Fort Hill" banner, which is located just in front of the Fort Hill Plantation House.

News of this act created an uproar among the students of color at Clemson University. This act was the "cherry on top" for many Black students who had endured the misrepresentation of Black culture one year prior when a "Cripmas" party was hosted by a white fraternity where participants dressed up like gang members and posted photographs of themselves on social media.

And so, the students fed up with acts of racism and the university's lack of response sat inside on the steps of Sikes Hall for nine days.

Shortly after the protest began, five students, D.J. Smith, Khayla Williams, Ian Anderson, A.D. Carson, and Rae-Nessha White, were arrested for refusing to leave Sikes Hall. These students became known as the "Clemson Five."

Demands were made during the sit-in, which included the development of a multicultural center for BIPOC students. The administration provided larger space for the Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center on the third floor of Brackett Hall.

Although the students involved in the Sikes Sit-In are generations removed from the resistance acts of enslaved individuals in the antebellum South, their courageous act shows that there are still injustices for people of color that must be fought against.