'Why white women shouldn't date black men' fliers discovered at Southern Methodist University
The Washington Post
November 18, 2016 12:45 MYT
November 18, 2016 12:45 MYT
According to the Daily Campus, the student newspaper of Southern Methodist University, the fliers found at the school this week were titled "Why White Women Shouldn't Date Black Men."
Underneath those words, were lines that included:
- "He's much more likely to abuse you"
- "He's much more likely to have STDs"
- And: "Your kids probably won't be smart"
The university on Tuesday released a statement calling the fliers "offensive" and saying that "concerned students" have met with the school's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, and plan to do so again.
"Two offensive fliers were found Sunday night in two stairwells in a residence hall and were reported to University officials, who are investigating this incident," the university said in its statement. "SMU condemns the racist and hateful message in these fliers. These messages have no place at SMU and are in opposition to SMU's values and commitment to an environment free from discrimination."
The fliers located at SMU appear to be similar to ones that appeared on the campus of the University of Michigan earlier this year. They were recently spotted again at the University of Oklahoma, according to that school's student newspaper.
SMU, which is located in Texas, said in its statement that the fliers are available online. After they were discovered, some SMU students responded with posters that supported diversity, the student newspaper reported.
News of the discovery of the fliers at SMU comes at a tense time across the country, as a spate of charged incidents have been reported in the wake of Donald Trump's election as president.
That includes some reports of incidents that have occurred on college campuses. For example, a black student at Baylor University said she was shoved by a white man while walking to class on the morning after the presidential election. The man used a racial slur, she said - then echoed Trump's campaign slogan, stating: "I'm just trying to make America great again."
Days later, a Michigan student was approached by a stranger who threatened to set her on fire if she didn't take off her hijab, according to authorities.
The fliers found at SMU do not reference Trump, though the Dallas Morning News reported that they did mention alt-right, a term for an ideology whose members reject establishment conservatism and use the internet to spread far-right views.
The alt-right - a movement that has been embraced by white nationalists - has recently gained more attention, following Trump's decision to name Stephen K. Bannon as his chief strategist in his White House. Before joining Trump's campaign earlier this year, Bannon served as executive chairman of Breitbart News.
The Morning News also noted that the printed fliers at SMU mentioned the website for Radix Journal, which is edited by white nationalist Richard Spencer.