In the wake of recent reports that FAMU hazing victim Robert Champion Jr. was gay, The National Black Justice Coalition is calling for this tragic incident to be investigated as a hate crime.

The NBJC has started an online petition. Follow the link below to learn more about their campaign, and to sign this very important petition

From the National Black Justice Coalition:

“WASHINGTON, D.C., JANUARY 10, 2012 – On November 19, 2011 Florida A&M University student Robert Champion Jr. was found unresponsive aboard a band bus after the school’s biggest game of the year. Police ruled the death a homicide from hazing; furthermore, the parents of Mr. Champion, a 26-year-old drum major in the university’s famed marching band, have recently revealed that Mr. Champion was gay. The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), the nation’s largest Black LGBT civil rights organization, is urging the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS) and Civil Rights Division, in addition to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, to launch an immediate investigation into Mr. Champion’s death as a potential anti-gay hate crime.

The loss of Mr. Champion is an unfortunate reminder of the need for proactive measures that foster inclusive environments for all students, regardless of their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity, and that address the severe issue of hazing at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country—Florida A&M being one of the nation’s oldest and largest HBCUs.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND SIGN THIS VERY IMPORTANT PETITION