SMU Students Call For Unity After Racist Flyers Found
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Students are set to gather at Southern Methodist University (SMU) on Wednesday evening after two racist flyers were found on campus. The event is being referred to as a "call to action" designed to unite the school and encourage students to immediately report any acts of discrimination.
The papers are titled "Why White Women Shouldn't Date Black Men," and they feature a list of racially-charged claims. These same flyers have been popping up at several college campuses, and SMU officials are still looking into how two of the offensive flyers ended up in the stairwells of one dorm.
Students walking through Armstrong Commons on Sunday night were greeted with the hurtful flyers. Word spread across the campus quickly through text and social media. There has been no word about who might have posted the papers at the Dallas university.
"It kind of upsets me, because I'm currently in an interracial relationship, and I feel like these flyers... you shouldn't be able to tell anyone who they should or shouldn't date," said student Natasha Garcia. "At the end of the day, it's their choice."
The school said that it condemns the hateful messages, and the Office of Multi-Cultural Student Affairs has been meeting with disheartened students to discuss the racist papers. Now, some students are urging their peers to take action as well. "Everyone is being encouraged to take the flyers down, and try to see the person who puts them up," said student Jabari Ford.
That "call to action" gathering is taking place at 8:00 p.m. tonight at the SMU Student Center. In the meantime, a number of posters are being placed around campus to promote diversity. Their message reads "We're Better Together."