Everyone on MSU’s campus and across the country should be talking about the Jena 6. We should be discussing why these six teenage boys were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder for a school fight that resulted in minor injuries for the wounded. Why, although Mychal Bell’s charges were lessened, did they make the case that his tennis shoes constituted the “deadly weapon” needed for an aggravated battery charge? These are some of the questions we should be asking ourselves because the Jena 6 story is also our own story. It involves what we believe as Americans and if our vision for the future of this country is being halted, this is something we should not take lightly.

Maria Nowak