On July 17, Eric Garner died at the hands of New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who choked him to death to the cries of “I can’t breathe.” His death was captured on video and broadcast for the world to see and judge. His death was just the capstone of a long list of unarmed black men being killed by white police officers: Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, Rumain Brisbon, Jonathan Ferrell, Levar Jones, and Michael Brown.

These names and the stories they tell are just the surface of a much broader issue. An institutionalized racism that systematically discriminates against minorities seems only to break into the 24-hour-news-cycle when such an overt and egregious act of racism is captured on video and goes viral.

When two grand juries, who have a 99.99 percent at the federal level and still an overwhelming rate at the state and local level, both fail to indict the police officers implicated in the deaths of Brown and Garner despite sufficient evidence to go to trial, it indicates a system that is so fundamentally broken that action must be taken to address it.

Fortunately, the Whitman community seems ready to help do its part. This Thursday, at 9:15 in the main lobby, hundreds of students plan to turn out for a “die-in,” a protest including a fifteen-minute program featuring speeches to inform students about brutality.

“We selected 15 because of the 11 times Eric Garner repeated ‘I can’t breathe’ and the other 4 for the 4 hours Michael Browns body was left on the street after shot and killed by the police,” said junior Ali Pete, who helped organize the protest along with senior Skylar Mitchell. “It’s focused more on the general themes of institutional racism and police brutality. However, Brown and Garner will be included and our die-in is in memory of the two.”

Pete said she hopes the event will raise community awareness about the issue.

“My motivation for this protest was the fact that I noticed Whitman hadn’t done or recognized anything,” Pete said. “It made Skylar and I frustrated that we were not addressing the events happening in our nation. Since I know we’re a very strongly bonded community, I figured that we could all come together for the purpose of raising awareness in our school.”

For those attending, the administration has elected to excuse all absences, and Pete said the administration has overall been supportive of the cause.

“Mr. Easton, Ms. Bryant, and Dr. Goodwin have all been a huge support system,” she said. “I’m very grateful they’ve been with us through this whole process, supporting us all the way.”

This protest hits the mark. It’s the obligation for Whitman to recognize that what’s going on in Ferguson and Staten Island isn’t isolated in these communities: it’s a universal American problem that affects us all.

One may disagree with the details of individual cases, but the broader point remains. Out of respect for the victims and to stand in solidarity against this injustice that it represents, we should all support this protest.