Fourth “Its okay to be white” sticker found; no University policy promises made
May 1, 2019
A fourth “It’s okay to Be white” sticker was found placed in a student’s laptop sleeve in The Garage, according to a Wednesday University release.
The racist sticker was found by a student who had worked in the incubator that afternoon, the release said. The student reportedly forgot his laptop sleeve when he left The Garage at about 4:30 p.m., and when he came back to retrieve it — around 8:15 p.m. — he found the sticker inside.
The discovery of the sticker marks the latest update in a string of racist incidents that have recently unfolded across campus. Three messages displaying the same phrase, associated with white supremacists and hate groups, have been found recently.
The University’s statement condemning the act was posted on Northwestern Now one day after the initial discovery of the sticker — a notable contrast to the relative slowness with which officials responded to previous acts of racial hatred on campus. Still, the update has yet to be publicized via email. Recently, administrators have been criticized by students for failing to respond adequately to racism on campus.
“Northwestern strongly condemns such messages,” the release said. “We take such incidents seriously, and will investigate thoroughly.”
Despite promises to investigate individual instances of racism, the University has yet to put forward substantive policy reforms to make the campus environment systematically safer for racial minorities. Beyond condemnations, the University promised no specific change in the release.
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Twitter: @pranav_baskar