‘Disappointed but not surprised’: Black student group president reacts to racist message found on EWU campus

The president of an Eastern Washington University Black student group said she was “disappointed but not surprised” when she found a racial slur in a university dance studio that the group has been using for five months.

“I was saddened and disheartened, but I wasn’t surprised,” said Sierra Alexander, president of the Black Student Union.

The union offers academic and cultural events on campus and throughout the area, according to the university’s website.

Alexander, who is a Black EWU graduate student, found the racist message paired with an expletive written in permanent marker on a studio mirror Tuesday.

“We at BSU feel that it was a targeted message meant to threaten and intimidate our group,” reads a post on the organization’s Instagram page Thursday. “That is hate speech on Eastern Washington University’s campus. We as Black students feel that this is unacceptable and will not tolerate messages like this for us or any Black student.”

Alexander said she was not surprised to see the racist message because of other racist remarks, including uses of the N-word, expressed by some students on campus.

EWU spokesman Dave Meany said he had not heard of the racist remarks but said it did not mean they were not said.

Alexander said the university and its President Shari McMahan have had weak reactions.

The Instagram post asked McMahan and the Office for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion “to make a statement condemning racism and anti-blackness.”

McMahan responded Thursday with an email to university employees and students that said EWU Police are investigating the “hateful graffiti.”

“As Diversity & Inclusion Week approaches, this is an important reminder that this community will not tolerate discriminatory behavior or other intolerant acts at Eastern Washington University,” McMahan wrote. “Incidents meant to denigrate students, faculty or staff go against our very mission of providing opportunities for personal transformation. … This week is a reminder to us all, we celebrate diversity and work daily toward creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and staff to succeed and thrive. Hate is not welcome here.”

Alexander said McMahan’s statement was “very general” and she was disappointed the statement failed to mention the Black Student Union and “anti-blackness.”

“It strongly denounced any kind of hatred and intolerance on campus and it couldn’t go into many details about the case itself or what was found because of the investigation,” Meany said of McMahan’s statement.

Alexander said she believed McMahan issued the statement only because the Black Student Union asked her to do it. However, Meany said the university would have issued the statement no matter what.

Alexander said she was also upset McMahan did not reach out to the Black Student Union to see whether it was OK.

Meany said McMahan flew to Washington, D.C., arriving late Wednesday night.

Meany and Alexander said Shari Clarke, senior diversity officer and vice president for diversity at the university, contacted the Black Student Union about the incident Thursday. Meany said Clarke is on McMahan’s leadership team.

The university is celebrating Diversity and Inclusion Week this week. For more information and a calendar of events, visit inside.ewu.edu/diversityandinclusion/diversity-inclusion-week.