Racist graffiti reportedly was written on and near the doors of multiple dorm rooms occupied by black students in both Promontory and First-Year housing. The graffiti, while so far seemingly a one off incident, was also only of many for black students on campus.
The incidents, which many students learned about from an Instagram post by the Black Student Union (BSU) occurred between Sept. 29 and the weekend of Oct. 5, according to BSU President Deejay Thornton. Thornton says they were told of at least three incidents, one of which they saw first on the @mbconfess Instagram page.
The graffiti, which is extremely graphic, included slurs (notably the n-word) and profanity, has now been removed. According to a statement acquired by local television station KSBW, a police investigation is still underway. Additionally, an email sent out to the “campus community” addressing the issue, calling it unacceptable and calling for more inclusivity.
While many are shocked by the incident, many in the BSU are less surprised.
“It kind of irritated me that people, not students but faculty and staff were astonished that this is something that happens. To us, if this didn’t happen back-to-back-to-back, we would have all probably moved on with our lives,” said Thornton. “We’re not surprised at all. A lot of us have been called racial slurs by other people on campus, have experienced racism in our classrooms.”
It was only after multiple students had been affected that they decided they needed to act and the incident was escalated.
In the aftermath, the BSU is calling for yearly training on racism and microaggressions, as well as an apology letter from and expulsion for the students responsible. “We want to talk about what policies are in place for students to have their own safety and what students are supposed to do. Thornton also called attention to a lack of functioning cameras in the residence halls, an issue which affects safety for all students.
“We would just like everyone’s support. The political climate is really tense right now, and that’s dangerous for all of us. There’s things going on in the queer community and people are also targeting Latino students,” said Thornton, “We need to all be there for each other.”