Black Lives Matter Signs Defaced At Boston College
CHESTNUT HILL (CBS) -- Boston College students are speaking out after two 'Black Lives Matter' signs were defaced in a BC residence hall. The word 'don't' was added to the posters so the posters read 'Black Lives Don't Matter.'
"It's definitely concerning, especially as an African American athlete here," says BC junior Will Harris.
"It's definitely uncomfortable, and I think everyone is looking for the university to take action where they can," says BC senior Kelly O'Connor.
Students living in the dorm responded by posting a new sign reading, "Dear racist people, instead of writing on our sign, don't be a coward. Knock and we can have a conversation."
"I would say this isn't common at BC, but it's definitely something that we need to address more moving forward," says Naya Joseph, a member of the Boston College Black Student Forum.
BC is looking into the incident, and responded with this statement:
"Boston College condemns all acts of hate and is committed to holding any student who violates our standards accountable. We call upon all members of the BC community to treat each other with dignity and respect and to stand united against intolerance in any form."
"I think it's a teachable moment for faculty and staff and administration that our education needs to address these issues head on," says Joseph.
Students say word travels quickly around campus especially in the age of social media. A photo with racial slurs posted on Snapchat is also circulating around BC.
"It's just so much happening at once and a lot of people are really upset and don't really know what to do about it," says O'Connor
Despite the racist rhetoric, many students consider Boston College to be an overall inclusive campus and say these incidents don't happen all too often.
"That's not reflective of this school or this campus at all. I think it's you know unfortunately that it comes out," says BC junior Tyler Hatton.
In light of these racial remarks, BC students are planning to walk out of class on Wednesday during midterms week and there will be a campus wide march in the works for Friday.
Framingham State University is dealing with a similar situation. Over the weekend, racial slurs were found on a flyer and written on a dorm room door in marker.