Antioch College students concerned protests will mar commencement

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio - While Antioch College students have been known to protest a variety of issues through the years, this year's commencement might mark the first time they will be the target of a demonstration, a prospect that worries graduating seniors.

The threats of a protest at the April 29 ceremony came after students invited Mumia Abu-Jamal, a Pennsylvania death-row inmate convicted of killing a police officer, to give the commencement address via audiotape.

"Tell all the haters to stay away. It's our day," graduating senior Cora Spearman said.

The school's announcement last week that students would hear Abu-Jamal's speech triggered a flood of outraged letters, e-mails and faxes from law enforcement organizations and victims' groups. Many of the letter-writers, including the slain officer's widow, promise a large protest if Abu-Jamal is allowed to give the commencement address.

Teishan Latner, a graduating senior and commencement committee member, said he would be disappointed if protests overshadow the culmination of four years of hard work.

Abu-Jamal, 45, a radio journalist and former Black Panther activist, was convicted of shooting Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981 after Faulkner stopped Abu-Jamal's brother for driving the wrong way down a city street.

Death penalty opponents and Abu-Jamal's supporters say he was targeted for political reasons and framed, and Abu-Jamal repeatedly has said he is innocent.

If Antioch follows through with its plans, Faulkner's widow, Maureen Faulkner told the Dayton Daily News she will lead the demonstration against Abu-Jamal's taped address.

"I'm not going to let people tell lies about this case," she said. "I'm not going to let people vilify Danny."