As a black person and as the president of College Democrats of Truman State University, I feel that I have a dual responsibility to talk about the personal and political realities of dealing with hate.

I am not afraid of white supremacy or these so-called white supremacists. My identity is my own, I’m proud of it, and I have no intent to shade it or apologize for it to make these racists comfortable.

My grandparents did not struggle for years in the Jim Crow south for me to be afraid today. Myself and others have dealt with worse than an anonymous poster left by insecure cowards. I’ve heard people say the N-word while I was in the room. I’ve had my presence at this university discounted as “affirmative action.” I’ve had people try to affix stereotypes to me and use me as a token to support their own savior complex. I’ve had my entire identity and culture boiled down into the punchline of a joke.

These experiences and others are more common and more damaging than a few posters. We as a people have been dealing with bold white supremacy for years and will continue to. We need to address, in our individual lives, the subtle white supremacy.

It’s easy to tear down those posters. It’s less easy to ask if you’re complicit in a larger problem. Talk to your friends of color, take their experiences seriously, and grow together.

Editor’s note: The poster pictured above was found this morning, March 25, 2019 in the Square in Kirksville, MO. The full text of the poster reads:

“Did you know that Truman trains non-whites to replace you white man? A “Nation of Immigrants” means your time is up.”

The text at the bottom of the poster says that the poster is “brought to you by your local Stormer book club.” 

The College Democrats of Truman State University issued the following statement regarding the poster:

The College Democrats of Truman State University unequivocally condemns the presence of white supremacy in our community.

Kirksville has a thriving immigrant population which has enriched the experience of everyone who calls this place home. We are welcoming to people of all nations, all faiths, and all cultures because we know our diversity is our strength. We have stood together in the face of all manner of obstacles that have threatened this community, including recession, blizzards, droughts, fires, and floods. It is time to come together once again to combat this abhorrent extremist ideology which is rooted in cowardice and hate. We are bigger, we are bolder, and we are stronger than white supremacy or anything else that would seek to break this community.

We will not allow immigrants, people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, or anyone who speaks out against white supremacy to be intimidated. We stand with you, because we are you, and we’re all in this together.

The post My response to the poster found today at Truman State U. appeared first on Occasional Planet.

When I woke up this morning, I was outraged to discover that $3,050 in Truman State University funds (taken from the non-optional “student activity fee” charged to all Truman students) was taken to hire one of the most prolific Islamophobes alive, Robert Spencer, to give a talk called “Exposed: The Truth About Radical Islam” despite his purported neo-Nazi ties and the fact that he has been banned from the United Kingdom for his radical agenda to defame Islam and spread hate and misinformation. This event is being funded by the University and hosted by the College Republicans and being held April 13th, 8:00pm in Violette Hall, Room 1000.

A quick google search of Robert Spencer reveals his “extremist profile” on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website. They state that “As the director of the Jihad Watch blog and co-founder of Stop Islamization of America, Robert Spencer is one of America’s most prolific and vociferous anti-Muslim propagandists.” Continuing, they explain that Robert “insists, despite his lack of academic training in Islam, that the religion is inherently violent and that radical jihadists who commit acts of terror are simply following its dictates.” His writing was cited dozens of times in a manifesto written by the Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik. Spencer was banned from the United Kingdom as an extremist in July 2013” (Southern Poverty Law Center).

So, despite the fact that the United Kingdom has banned this man from entering their country because his views on Islam are incorrect and hateful, Truman State has not only invited, but is PAYING him to come our campus, using thousands of dollars in University funding. The FAC (Funds Allotment Council) has public records which prove that this funding was in fact, provided to the College Republican club to host this event. Those records can be found here: https://fac.truman.edu/slates/ under Spring 2017.

While outraged students have been writing letters to school administration and planning ways to stage nonviolent and peaceful protest at the event, which is scheduled for April 13th, 2017 at 8pm, online threats have recently surfaced advocating for the shooting, lobotomization, imprisonment and expulsion of students who disagree with Spencer or plan to protest. Attached below is an image of one such comment, however, it is just one of many. The rest can be seen on Robert Spencer’s personal website, here: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/04/truman-state-university-student-calls-for-violence-ahead-of-robert-spencer-lecture.

Many of these comments are also incredibly transphobic. Several Truman students are calling the event “tone-deaf” especially given the ongoing mental health crisis being experienced at Truman’s campus, with our current suicide rate 6.25x that of the national average at other Universities. A Truman student committed suicide just last week and with such a fragile and stressful campus environment at present, the last thing our University needs is additional stressors and events which incite violence, stress, and promote hate.

Furthermore, following Trump’s Muslim travel ban, University President Dr. Sue Thomas sent out an email ensuring that minority students would be protected and supported, yet by allowing and funding anti-Islamic speakers like Robert Spencer, they are doing precisely the opposite. Truman claims to promote an atmosphere in which diversity is respected and students of every creed, color, religion and culture can feel protected and safe. But their actions (and lack thereof) demonstrate otherwise.

While College Republicans and campus leadership (including University President Dr. Sue Thomas) argue that Spencer’s talk on campus falls under free speech, student Breanna Rigger stated in a public Facebook status,

“Look, it’s unethical to give fascists a platform. It’s not intolerant or hypocritical to deny them speech on campus. These people manipulate others with fear to support horrible policies and discrimination towards others. This fear can lead to violence towards targeted groups. If you use your first amendment rights to spread fears, lies, and violence then you shouldn’t have a platform.”

Furthermore, Robert’s rhetoric and platform has been characterized as “hate-speech” in the past which many feel should not fall under the definition of “free speech.” Furthermore, such speech is not appropriate on a campus that has falsely promised to stand up for minority students and help them feel safe and protected.

As a student who is personally concerned, I have reported the shooting threats to the proper authorities and expressed my concerns regarding the inappropriate nature of spending student activity fee money on hate speech, yet Truman State refuses to take action, telling students that this will promote “academic discourse.”

If the event is not canceled despite violent threats towards peaceful protesters and students who disagree with Spencer’s extremist, bigoted stance, there will be nonviolent protests staged by students who are standing in solidarity with our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters.

By continuing to host this event, despite an outpouring of outrage from the student body, Truman State is alienating and actively oppressing their Muslim student body. I would urge any Truman alumni to immediately call Truman and ask to be taken off donor lists and any high schoolers considering attending Truman State to keep the actions of the University at this time in mind.

The post Tension mounts with Islamophobic speaker scheduled at Truman State appeared first on Occasional Planet.