Tensions were high as two efforts of public awareness brought about a conflict of interest in the Student Union Park.
Thursday, March 7 is known as Brain Injury Awareness Day. To commemorate the day, Ann Mejia, facilitator for the Brain Injury Association of Louisiana (BIALA) and Southeastern alumna, held an event in conjunction with the Southeastern Sociology Association (SSA) in the Student Union Park.
Several other groups also came together to help raise awareness, including the Catholic Student Association (CSA) and Dr. Kellen Gilbert’s forensic anthropology class, with the common goal of educating the public about brain injuries.
The group began by carrying a large banner advertising Brain Injury Awareness Day across campus while chanting phrases like “What do we want? Awareness! When do we want it? Now!” in order to rally attention. After marching through campus, the group made its way back to the Student Union Park where further activities were held.
Bags of popcorn, almonds and brain shaped cookies were sold, and the proceeds were donated to BIALA.
Graduate students from Dr. Gilbert’s forensic anthropology class demonstrated with cantaloupes what happens to the brain when falling with a helmet as opposed to without a helmet.
Afterwards, a number of speakers gave their testimonial and educated the crowd about brain injuries. It was during these speeches that David Grantham, a preacher notorious for his “IQ test,” began preaching to students at the entrance to the Student Union Park.
Co-president of the SSA Amy Edwards, vexed by the disturbance, instructed participants to carry the Brain Injury Awareness Day banner to the base of the Student Union Park entrance, just behind Grantham. Edwards, wielding a cantaloupe, stood upon Grantham’s soapbox as he was preaching and asked that he relocate.
When Grantham declined to move, Edwards threw the cantaloupe on the ground at his feet, advising the crowd to partake in Brain Injury Awareness Day. When Edwards finished addressing the crowd of students surrounding the entrance way, Grantham added that he, too, thought that brain injury awareness was an excellent cause to support, and then continued preaching.
Edwards later blamed Grantham for the low turnout of students at Brain Injury Awareness Day.
“We had some complications with the fact that a preacher who comes frequently was at the entrance way to our event, speaking loudly,” said Edwards. “I think if you asked around campus, you would get the response that most students have seen him and know who he is, and no one wants to take his IQ test. No one wants to be around him. I know people that will see him and avoid him explicitly, and so I’m certain that we could’ve gotten more people if he had not been there.”
Grantham claimed that he was glad for the interruption to his preaching.
“I was excited,” said Grantham. “Why? Because we pray for hecklers. It draws a crowd. When somebody’s arguing, people go ‘What’s going on there?’ and it brings more people up, and you can preach the gospel, and they’ll hear it. So I was just thrilled when she came up. I was just hoping that she’d hit me in the head with one of those cantaloupes.”
When asked why he did not relocate, despite agreeing that brain injury awareness is an excellent cause to support, Grantham had this to say:
“I have to have permission to be here from the school administration. This is where they tell me to stand, so I don’t want to break the rules.”
Aside from the confrontation, Edwards considered the event to be an overall success.
“It is not deterring us from doing it again next year,” said Edwards, “with more promotion and hopefully more activities. The brain smashing was a smashing success, so I was very pleased with that. I think the march went really well. Next year will be bigger and better.”