Facebook photo by Richard Nunn.
Facebook photo by Richard Nunn.
Regardless of the era, hate never goes out of style.
Hours after a group of incoming Latina and Latino freshmen painted an iconic rock near University of Michigan’s campus last Friday, it was covered with racist slurs aimed at the Latino community, reports Kim Kozlowski of The Detroit News.
One comment says "Fuck Latinos" and another one simply said "MAGA" (Make America Great Again).
The rock, located off campus at Washtenaw Avenue and Hill Street, was painted by 35 freshmen Thursday in U-M’s Assisting Latinos to Maximize Achievement (ALMA), a group that recruits and supports Latino students at the university. The word Latinx is often used these days instead of Latino or Latina because it is considered gender neutral.
The original phrases the newcomers painted Friday included “ALMA 2017,” “Sí se puede,” a Spanish phrase meaning, yes it can be done, and also “chingon,” Mexican slang to describe something extremely cool.
After the hateful words were painted, the rock was painted over and included the phrase “Latinx belongs.”
U-M student Richard A. Nunn posted a photo of the vandalized rock on his Facebook page, along with this comment:
Less than 24 hours after incoming Latinx students painted UM"s Rock with cultural expressions of pride and community, other people decided to respond...."Fuck Latinos" and "MAGA" (Make America Great Again)....I'm not surprised at hate or intolerance, especially in this political climate. I won't be surprised at the lack of any response from UM or the news media---diversity is still seen only through convenient lenses. Our country and our campus need to change!
On Saturday, Robert Sellers, the university's chief diversity officer issued a statement:
As many of you know, an incident occurred near our campus yesterday where a racist statement, directed toward Latinos, was written on the Rock.
First and foremost, I’m sorry for the pain and anger that has occurred by this expression of hate. These actions do not represent our University and have no place in our community. I personally denounce the incident and the individual(s) who painted this hateful message.
Although it appears this message was in response to the work of the U-M student organization ALMA (Assisting Latinos to Maximize Achievement) and their efforts in building a welcoming and supportive community for Latinx students, faculty, and staff – we will not let it overshadow these extraordinary efforts.
While the incident is despicable and disappointing, it will not impact my, or my office’s efforts in continuing to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive University community, one where all members, including our Latinx community, have an opportunity to reach their absolute potential.
