Dressed in black, carrying signs and holding hands, a procession of almost 300 students marched silently from the HUB-Robeson Center to Beaver Stadium Saturday to protest the recent outbreaks of racism at Penn State.

The purpose of the march was not just to protest, but also to promote unity among Penn State students, increase awareness of the race problem at Penn State and show support to the black students on campus who were targeted by hate mail.

"We want to stress the severity and significance of these issues," said Joe Dawkins, former Black Caucus president and one of the organizers of the march.

The procession of silent, black-clad students was a stark contrast to the crowds of noisy fans dressed in blue and white pouring into the stadium.

"I think they're really getting your attention by just marching in silence and all dressed in black," said Sara Kim (junior-business administration), who watched the march.

Football fans all along the march's route turned to stare at the marchers and their signs, which had messages such as "Racism is a Disease, Be Part of the Cure" and "Black and White, We Must Unite" written on them.

A few members of the crowd clapped to show their support as the marchers went by. "If I wasn't out here with College Democrats, I'd be marching with them," said Ali Altman (senior-political science).

The marchers formed a circle outside the gates of the stadium, which seemed to annoy some students who were entering the gates. "I think it's the wrong place to do it," said David Durnick (senior-biochemistry and molecular biology) while going into the stadium.

Outside the gates, Dawkins gave a passionate speech about racism, telling the crowd that he believed "what we're here for is right." Raising his voice against the sounds of the Penn State Blue Band, Dawkins said, "You cannot solve a problem until you stop denying that the problem exists." After the speech, Kenneth Clarke, director of the Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, led a prayer.