For three days, modest and mild-mannered Holden Powell walked around campus carrying a small white-board displaying his name.

After receiving anonymous death threats, University of Connecticut student Powell labeled himself, inviting anyone who criticized or incited violence against him to speak with him in person. No one did.

The death threats were not random. On Nov. 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris killed 130 people. The next morning, Mahmoud Hashem, a Muslim UConn student woke with the phrase “killed Paris” scrawled below his name tag on his door.

Powell wrote a post in the “Buy or Sell UConn Tickets” Facebook page asking people to understand the problem with expressing support and sorrow only for white Europeans. He advocated for protection of black and brown people, such as Hashem.

“Identify the terrorism against Muslim students and LGBTQ students… While I appreciate the rallying and support for the families of victims in Paris that so many fellow students are doing right now, I hope that same support occurs for the people of color who face daily terrorism within a White, capitalistic society,” Powell wrote in his original post.

Criticism, misunderstanding, disbelief and death threats flooded the Yik Yak app for the next few weeks. It culminated in him carrying the white-board through campus.

He was frustrated and scared, but didn’t want to make a fuss. After all, he wasn’t the focus of the problem, he said.

“It doesn’t matter how I felt. I got my point across, and I don’t need anybody defending me because I’m going to keep sticking up for the oppressed,” he said.

Powell is the vice president of the American Civil Liberties Union and Sankofa. He is a member of the Black Student Association. Powell was voted Mr. AACC as face for the African American Cultural Center.

He is a writer and editor for various publications such as The Tab, ILS Magazine and College Fashionista. Powell is currently taking 17 credits in his journalism and communication majors.

In addition to his extracurricular activities, he is dedicated to fighting racism on campus.

Powell is critical of the University’s attempts at inclusion on campus. He clarified that inclusion is different from diversity in that yes, there are some minorities on campus, but if they’re not included and welcomed to events, there is no diversity and inclusion. He mentioned that he did not know about Huskython, citing it as a mostly white fraternity and sorority event.

Powell refers to the “tokenism” UConn uses, including hiring a few minorities such as the new chief diversity officer and accepting minority students. These “tokens” will not magically clean the administration of any racism.

“You’re sadly mistaken,” he said. “Obama’s been in office for eight years and we’re still collectively having issues regarding race. If Hillary Clinton becomes president, women are still going to be earning less.”

After Joelle Murchison was named chief diversity officer, UConn president Susan Herbst said “We must ensure that people of every background can call UConn home – whether as a student or an employee – and that the opportunities and advantages found at UConn are accessible to everyone.”

She went on to say that it requires thoughtful, proactive effort on our part, and that Murchison will be an essential part of that effort.

Powell mentioned that his transition to a new home at UConn was a shocking one, coming from Bloomfield, a city in Hartford county.

“I’m surrounded by white people who may have only seen one or two people in their high schools,” he said. “It solidified my blackness, but also left me in limbo because I didn’t fit in with either groups.”

In his first week at UConn in the fall of 2014, a drunken student shouted the “N” word at him. Students often ask him about his hair and his taste in rap music, assuming that he enjoys that genre. Adults will often compliment him on how “well-spoken” he is for a young African American male. People have said he is only attending UConn because of Affirmative Action. Interactions on dating apps sometimes end with: “you’re cute, but I don’t date black guys.”

“There’s no harm meant, but it’s very cringe worthy,” Powell added.

He and his mom, who tried to seek help from the university after his death threats, are glad he’s attending this school because it’s more realistic and representative of the real world, even if there are immense challenges that come along with it.

Powell had the option of attending a historically black college, but chose the UConn West Hartford campus for his first year, and then the UConn Storrs campus for his final years.

Powell aspires to be “educated, ambitious and enterprising,” a phrase taken from one of his favorite TV shows, “A Different World.”

Taking bits of his journalism and communication education, his interest in fashion and his desire to speak out for those oppressed, Powell would like to start his own magazine that will highlight fashion and youth culture, while providing opportunities to speak out against discrimination and inequality.

During the November social media attacks, Powell received both criticism and support from his peers.

On Powell’s original Facebook post, a student named David Lyon said, “You are nothing more than an attention whore with a mouth to feed who thinks that he is right simply because he is lower on the rungs of the ladder of privilege than some portion of white people.”

Other students have called Powell inspiring, an advocate and an activist, although he doesn’t consider himself one.

“It’s great when people said I’ve inspired them, but there’s a lot of pressure on me… Behind closed doors you’re hurting inside, but you have to put on a strong face to the public eye.”