Racism on the Rise Part 1: Penn State Crisis

> As some of you may already know, last week Friday, the Black Caucus

>President at Penn St. University received a death threat in the mail.

>This letter said that there is no place for "niggers" at this white

>school, in a white town. The letter also stated that if this person was

>still alive by the time graduation came around, there would be a bomb

>there. They also stated that there was a body of a dead black man in the

>woods.

>

> Saturday, during an intersquad football game, 26 members of the

>Black Caucus ran on the field. These people were arrested for

>trespassing, and were released later on that day. The members ran on the

>field to protest the continuation of prejudice that takes place at Penn

>St., and the silence of Penn St. President Graham Spanier. After the

>game, President Spanier announced that there would be a Unity March,

>Tuesday, April 24, on the Penn St. campus. Members of the Black Caucus

>were not informed that this march was being planned, and were upset by his

>actions. Black students have been receiving threatening letters and

>e-mails the past two years, and the administration has not been

>cooperating with the student body. The march yesterday turned into a

>protest that has not ended.

>

> President Spanier released a brief statement during the rally, and

>then left as the Black Caucus President begged him to stay, because her

>life is in danger. President Spanier proceeded to meet with the press in

>a closed Press Conference, as 4,000 plus students, of every ethnic

>background, continued to protest in the cold wind. Members of the NAACP

and

>the Nation of Islam attended and spoke at yesterday's rally. The Nation

>of Islam informed the student body that Pennsylvania has 32 hate groups

>within the state, more than any other state in the country. Three hours

>after the rally began, President Spanier announced that he would meet with

>15 members of the Black Caucus, in a private meeting. After four hours of

>negotiation, the meeting came to a close, when President Spanier refused

>to meet the requests of the student body, which include: building a Black

>Cultural Resource Center, and to increase hiring in the African and

>African American Studies Department of Penn St.

>

> Since no agreement has been met, students have refused to leave the

>HUB, a student building on campus. Around 300 students slept there last

>night, refusing to leave until an agreement is met. The wake-up for

>students this morning became extremely frightening when police announced

>that a dead black male was found 2 hours from campus. The identity of the

>body is not known, and there is no word right now if it was a Penn

>St. student.

>

> The student body of Penn St. would like the support of the nation to

>end racial discrimination at our school and across the nation. We are all

>God's people, and in this crucial time, we all need to come together in

>His name. Please forward this e-mail to everyone you know, so the people

>outside of Penn St. know the racial struggles that continue on this

>campus, and in this country everyday. God Bless.

>

>

>Justin L. Denham

>Sophomore- Penn St. University



>Fellow students

>I'm sending you this article concerning the goings-on at Penn State.

>Dorcas

>IMed one of the students yesterday and this is totally true. The

>students

>are not getting any kind of administrative support or assistance.

>Several of

>the Black Caucus members have had to recruit Nation of Islam members

>as

>security. The press coverage from the area has been scanty at best

>and

>mostly unfavorable. Last night was the fourth night that students

>from the

>college have slept in their student building as a form of protest.

>Anyways pass this on, the more students who know the better.

>Hopefully we

>can do something on our end to help out the students at Penn. Please

>forward

>this to your campus student groups.

>Holla,

>Abayomi

>P.S I haven't heard about this on the local news have you????

>STRANGE

>>

>>BELOW IS THE PRESS RELEASE OF THE INCIDENT

>> >April 20, 2001

>> >NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&.

>> >We are holding an emergency press conference to warn the entire

>> >community,

>> >specifically the Black students of Penn State University Park and

>> >the 19

>> >commonwealth campuses of the imminent threats on their lives.

>>This

>> >afternoon, a Daily Collegian reporter received two hate letters

>> >through the

>> >United States postal service system in an envelope with the

>> >reporter's work

>> >address written by hand. The first hate letter was directed to

>>the

>> >reporter

>> >asking him/her to send the second letter, which was a death

>>threat,

>> >to a

>> >Black student leader. A quote from the reporter's letter is

>>below.

>> >" (first name) nigger lover (last name),

>> >since you love niggers so much, and that's all you have a notion

>>to

>> >write

>> >about (white trash that you are) maybe you can do (name of other

>> >letter

>> >recipient) a favor by delivering the enclosed letter..."

>> >The second letter was a direct death threat to a Black student

>> >leader. Part

>> >of the letter reads as follow:

>> >"i have tried with little success to be patient with you stupid

>> >little

>> >black bitch, don't you realize i could have killed you ten times

>>by

>> >now-

>> >your monkey boy bodyguards notwithstanding. this is a white

>>academy

>> >in a

>> >white town- in a white country and by god its going to stay that

>>way

>> >nigger

>> >bitch. i generally see you two or three times a week, so i can

>>take

>> >care of

>> >you anytime i want to, but with cameras everywhere on campus, why

>> >chance it.

>> >i will pick my spot. Running your mouth can get you in trouble or

>> >get you

>> >killed here. but you niggers don't know your place and your role,

>> >ingrates.

>> >i am not alone in this academy, we are determined to rid this

>>place

>> >of this

>> >black blight on our community. those like you have been run off

>>or

>> >killed.

>> >you, also, will just disappear and never be found. we mean

>>business

>> >and to

>> >show how serious we are, have the authorities search&the young

>>black

>> >buck

>> >must have been a no account even to niggers, because no one even

>> >missed him.

>> >he put ! ! up one hellified fight- but there is no good from it

>>if

>> >no one

>> >knows. we want you niggers off this campus and out of this town

>>now.

>> >we seen

>> >you niggers multiply over the years and we don't wish to teach

>>you,

>> >work

>> >with you or live next door to you- you gutter low lifes don't fit

>> >here,

>> >never did, you think those big niggers from harrisburgh are going

>>to

>> >help-

>> >parrish the thought. you had your chance nigger bitch now you're

>> >dead!"

>> >Below the typed letter were four photocopied, handwritten words

>> >including,

>> >"grad day = bombs- PSU."

>> >Upon immediately receiving the letters, the reporter got in

>>contact

>> >with,

>> >among others, Penn State university police, the Harrisburg

>>Patriot

>> >newspaper

>> >and finally delivered the death threatening letter to the Black

>> >student

>> >leader. Another press release regarding the hate and death

>> >threatening

>> >letters were sent by public relations professionals representing

>>the

>> >Penn

>> >State administration. In that official press release several

>>quotes

>> >from

>> >President Spanier were used, despite his absence from the

>> >university. We

>> >publicly renounce President Spanier's decision to leave

>>University

>> >Park soon

>> >after being notified of this death threat and admitted murder of

>>a

>> >Black

>> >male student, whose body could be found in Centre County. The

>> >students want

>> >to make it known that Spanier's presence and not his comments are

>> >needed at

>> >this urgent moment. This latest hate letter is yet another attac!

>>!

>> >k on the

>> >livelihood of Penn State students and we urge you to further

>> >investigate.