MSUM Finds Hate Speech Stickers on Campus

(Moorhead, MN) -- An issue that showed it's ugly head at NDSU's campus just weeks ago has popped up at another area College, this time just across the Red River.

Minnesota State University Moorhead reporting that white supremacist stickers were found at several locations across the campus Monday evening. This after several similar types of propoganda were found at North Dakota State University earlier in March.

The University's President, Anne Blackhurst, put out the following statement to students and staff in the wake of the incident:

 

MSUM Colleagues and Students,

Last week’s shootings in Atlanta and the national trend of racism and violence toward the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community weigh heavily on our hearts and minds. The shootings were a stark reminder that racist rhetoric has tragic consequences and cannot be tolerated. They were also a reminder that racially motivated violence, wherever it occurs, is harmful to our AAPI colleagues and students.

Monday night, when stickers promoting a white supremacist organization were found posted at several MSUM locations, we were reminded that our own community is not immune from racist acts. The stickers were similar to those that have been posted on other campuses in the Fargo-Moorhead area. I’m thankful to the employees who acted quickly to remove the stickers and make a report to MSUM’s Bias Response Team.

 Acts of racism and hate are completely inconsistent with MSUM’s values and all of us have an obligation to denounce such acts when we witness them. MSU Moorhead’s  Bias Incident Response Team was formed to support community members who have experienced bias-related incidents, to help create a more inclusive campus climate for all students, faculty, and staff, and to review reported bias-related incidents. If you have witnessed or have directly experienced a bias-related incident on campus, please report it to the Bias Incident Response Team using this link. 

Finally, I invite you to take this opportunity to learn more about anti-Asian racism—and how we can all be advocates for the AAPI community—by exploring the following resources recommended by our colleagues in the Livingston Lord Library:

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (learning and teaching resources that examine our country's history and address the surge of anti-Asian racism)

Anti-Asian Violence Resources (educational resources and support for action against anti-Asian racism)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice (resources to stand against anti-Asian racism)

 

Together, we can ensure that our campus community is free from acts of bigotry, intimidation, and harassment. We can also do our part to advance racial and social justice on campus and in the broader Fargo-Moorhead community. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Anne Blackhurst
President

 

Two extremist decals promoting a Texas-based hate group were found on doors at North Dakota State University’s Minard Hall early Monday, March 8th and were later determined to be propaganda for the Patriot Front, which has been declared a white nationalist hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Patriot Front formed after the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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