Town Hall Meeting Held Today To Find Out What The Hell Is Going On Here!
Students and faculty at Columbia University are pissed over the discovery of a hangman's noose dangling from the door of a black female professor at its Teachers College.
Madonna Constantine, a professor of psychology and education and author of a book entitled "Addressing Racism: Facilitating Cultural Competence in Mental Health and Educational Settings," was the sistah who was targeted. Constantine also teaches a class on racial justice.
Students and faculty at Columbia University are pissed over the discovery of a hangman's noose dangling from the door of a black female professor at its Teachers College.
Madonna Constantine, a professor of psychology and education and author of a book entitled "Addressing Racism: Facilitating Cultural Competence in Mental Health and Educational Settings," was the sistah who was targeted. Constantine also teaches a class on racial justice.
The hangman's noose was discovered Tuesday morning, in an echo of other recent incidents involving the symbol reviled by many for its association with lynchings in the Old South. Last year in Jena, La., three white students hung nooses from a big oak tree outside Jena High School. They were suspended but not prosecuted. A noose was also found recently dangling in the locker room of the headquarters of the Hempstead Police Department on Long Island.
"This is an assault on African Americans and therefore it is an assault on every one of us," President Bollinger said in a statement. "I know I speak on behalf of every member of our communities in condemning this horrible action."
A town hall meeting today allowed students, administrators and faculty an opportunity to discuss what happened to Professor Constantine. Some students wore black in a show of solidarity, before everyone agreed that it was time to give the idots responsible for this bulls*** a major beatdown.
"This is an assault on African Americans and therefore it is an assault on every one of us," President Bollinger said in a statement. "I know I speak on behalf of every member of our communities in condemning this horrible action."A town hall meeting today allowed students, administrators and faculty an opportunity to discuss what happened to Professor Constantine. Some students wore black in a show of solidarity, before everyone agreed that it was time to give the idots responsible for this bulls*** a major beatdown.
"You would think, Columbia being such a diverse campus and New York being such a diverse city, it shouldn't happen here," said student Mikayla Graham. In the message to the college's 5,000 students and 150 faculty members explaining why police were on campus Tuesday, college president Susan H. Fuhrman said: "The Teachers College community and I deplore this hateful act, which violates every Teachers College and societal norm." The incident has been reported to the New York City Police Department (Detectives Bureau of Manhattan) and is under active investigation by the Hate Crimes Task Force.
Teachers College, founded in 1887, describes itself as the nation's oldest and largest graduate school of education. According to its Web page, the college brought black teachers from the South to New York for teacher training in the early part of the 20th century, when schools in the South were segregated. The college has a diverse student body, including students from nearly 80 countries. The racial breakdown is 12 percent black, 11 percent Asian American and 7 percent Hispanic.
Columbia has been the site of other campus turmoil, most recently in September when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was invited to speak, prompting protests by groups angry over his statements questioning the existence of the Holocaust.
Columbia has been the site of other campus turmoil, most recently in September when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was invited to speak, prompting protests by groups angry over his statements questioning the existence of the Holocaust.