Tom GantertAlbion, MI – A private college in Michigan located a black student who was responsible for racist graffiti that targeted black people and Jewish people.
Albion College and the campus police said that a 21-year-old black man was brought in for questioning, according to MLive.
Albion College announced that it had identified the student responsible in a April 7 Facebook post but did not state his race.
Part of the college’s Facebook post stated, “But we know the acts of racism that have occurred this week are not about one particular person or one particular incident. We know that there is a significant history of racial pain and trauma on campus and we are taking action to repair our community. We will change and heal together as a community, because we are committed to doing the work.”
The graffiti was found on April 2 and stated, “Albion is racist … we do exist KKK”, “Die [n-word] Please!”; “KKK white power,” and a Jewish star with 666 written on it, according to MLive.
The City Watch NEWS Group posted photos of the racist graffiti on Facebook.
The college newspaper The Albion Pleiad reported that Albion President Mathew Johnson sent an email that identified the student as a “current student of color.”
Johnson stated that the student was placed on temporary suspension during the investigation.
The student acted alone, according to college officials. He admitted he was responsible and police said campus video surveillance confirmed it, according to The Albion Pleiad.
Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office has not yet announced if any criminal charges will be filed, according to MLive.
Albion College’s president made news in January when he sent an email to the college community when he described the George Floyd protests as “peaceful activism in communities around the country.” Johnson made that comment when comparing the Floyd riots to the U.S. Capitol riots in January, according to The Police Tribune.
Johnson’s email back in January about the U.S. Capitol riots stated, “Yesterday’s actions were an attack on the very fabric of our democracy and unfortunately were not a one-off. Rather, they were the logical culmination of a prolonged campaign to undermine our democracy and a clear display of white supremacy.”
Johnson continued: “Yesterday’s actions also stand in stark contrast to a summer of peaceful activism in communities around the country demanding accountability and change in policing systems that lead to police killings of Black people. While we stand to condemn the actions yesterday, we simultaneously condemn the very disparate actions taken against unarmed peaceful Black and Brown protestors.”
Students at the college have been protesting for racial justice after the racist graffiti was discovered on campus.
Last week, students “boycotted” attending classes which they paid to attend in an effort to fight “racial injustice,” according to WWMT.
The “boycott” is happening during midterm week and students claim that they can’t be expected to focus on midterms when they are busy fighting racial injustice.
HAPPENING TODAY: Albion College students are boycotting again. Students tell me today they are focusing on mental health & fighting for change. @wwmtnews pic.twitter.com/jegNs0wcHF
— Trisha McCauley (@TrishaWWMT) April 8, 2021
“I’m tired of having to do these things. I wish I could get up like a regular kid, go to class, come home and do homework, but that’s not my reality,” the boycott organizer told WWMT.
Holly Matkin
