{"article":{"id":6441,"heading":"Racism on the Rise Part 1: Penn State Crisis","author":"anonymous circulation","created":"2001-05-03 17:20:11","modified":"2005-08-15 00:33:38","last_modified":"Mon, 15 Aug 2005 07:33:38","article":"
> 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.\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"There is a serious crisis at Penn State right now--the first letter\r\ndescribes the situation, and the second gives an update. Please circulate\r\nthis as widely as possible.","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2001\/05\/racism_on_.txt","filesize":"8.1 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2001\/05\/6441.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}