On Tuesday, 200 North Carolina A&T students convened at the A & T Four statue to embark on a march to city council in an effort to protest the re-opening of the White Street landfill.

“We are students against the White Street landfill and we are rallying because this landfill directly affects us,” said senior Eboni Chambers.

Chambers is a member of Ignite Greensboro, which is a student-run, led social action organization, comprised of area college students.

The White Street Landfill has been the subject of much controversy in recent months because of its location in a predominantly African-American neighborhood. Protestors believe that re-opening the landfill will continue a legacy of environmental racism, and bring foul odors and an increased volume of traffic into the residential area.

“The landfill has been an issue for years,” said senior Starlyn Robinson and member of Ignite Greensboro. “By rallying and protesting we want to show that students are concerned about local issues.”

If the city were to reopen the landfill they could potentially save up to $3 million, which the city currently spends to dump the trash in Montgomery County.

The group Caka!ak Thunder created a spectacle on the streets of downtown Greensboro while the protesters, the majority being A & T students but including Bennett College students and other Greensboro residents, shouted, “White Street landfill, keep it at a standstill!”.  This was after the announcement that Gate City Waste Services, the company that would have been contracted to run the landfill, had backed out of the deal which is a huge victory for protestors.

 The march ended at the Melvin Municipal Building, where community leaders held a rally for support before the city council meeting.

Many of the speakers bragged the students for making such a statement by being there. 

Among the speakers was A & T Senior Cherrell Brown, who had a major role in organizing the event. Brown is also a member of Ignite Greensboro which is the organization responsible for organizing the event.

Depends on city, staying informed and staying vigilant on white the city council does on White Street.

The official public hearing was cancelled due to Gate City’s withdrawal, though the city council still assembled to discuss other issues.     “We were thrilled, ecstatic,” said Robinson. “This is not the end though, we still wanted to march to show people that we are still opposed no matter who the contractor is.”

Although the public hearing was cancelled, the City Council still convened.

The matter of the landfill was just left out.

The meeting room was filled to capacity, and although extra chairs were provided in the lobby for people to view the meeting via monitor there was only standing room.

The city council is led by Greensboro’s Mayor Bill Knight, who decided that due to the large number of speeches, exactly seventeen, the normal public speaking time of three minutes should be reduced to two minutes.

Protesters gave several biting speeches in opposition to the landfill, and were met with applause and the sound of Mayor Knight’s gavel.

The students involved in Ignite Greensboro also used the event to promote voting among students for the upcoming elections.

The student votes could play a large role in swaying the politics of Greensboro and start a trend of unity between the University community and the city.

“Everyone was very excited about how it turned out. I think it was a really positive step towards improving the city of Greensboro for everyone,” said Robinson.

• Katherine Witt, Contributor