Courtesy of South Carolina State Athletic Media Relations


VIDEO: https://wach.com/news/local/sc-state-student-organizes-protests-in-michigan-town

(WACH) -- A South Carloina State student has taken charge in her hometown of Milford, Mich... starting protests and conversations her hometown hasn't had before.

Megan Swirczek is a rising senior at S.C. State.

One of the few white students on campus, Swirczek plays for the school's soccer team and is a member of a black sorority, Delta Sigma Theta.

So when Swirczek went back to her hometown of Milford, Michigan, a town that is 96 percent white, she knew she couldn't stay silent.

"People are making this about choosing sides," Swirczek said. "This isn't about bringing politics into it. This isn't a 'Democrat thing.' This is everybody versus racism."

Swirczek teamed up with "Power Detroit," an activist organization, to spread the topic of racial injustice and police brutality.

They didn't know what to expect, and, next thing they knew, over 1,000 people showed up to protest.

She made it clear in our interview that she didn't want this story to be about a white girl that "saves the day."

She wants this story, and these protests, to be about amplifying Black voices.

"As much as that would make anyone nervous, that's the reason that we decided to go," Summer March, founder of "Power Detroit," said. "We feel like Milford is the type of city that... all the racism out there, all of that needs to be addressed at this time."

In our conversation with Swirczek and "Power Detroit," they kept emphasizing the need for Americans to learn true black history so they can better understand why this movement is happening.

"Why is it that Black history is being fact-checked now?" Swirczek asked. "Why's Black history always that? Why is it the Black man that is always out? They never get the benefit of the doubt first."

When it comes to what S.C. State can do moving forward, Swirczek said they've always done a great job at spreading awareness, and that it's time for people to start paying more attention to what they're saying.