Subtle injustices

You don’t struggle, you just whine and complain to get more free sh— from everyone else like every other black welfare queen



Anonymous Yik Yak You don’t struggle, you just whine and complain to get more free sh— from everyone else like every other black welfare queen

Maybe black people should stop doing things to get killed by law enforcement



Anonymous Yik Yak Maybe black people should stop doing things to get killed by law enforcement

Why can’t they just shut up and be happy? There isn’t a racism problem at SMU, they’re trying to manufacture one



Anonymous Yik Yak Why can’t they just shut up and be happy? There isn’t a racism problem at SMU, they’re trying to manufacture one

Ask students about being black at SMU and many will first speak with pride about their school. They don’t speak of on-campus, in-your-face racism, like use of the N-word or displays of Confederate flags. Instead, they speak of subtle injustices — “microaggressions,” they’re called — repeated snubs and slights that wear them down.

Like walking down Bishop Boulevard, the main drag on campus, past students who look away. “You get looks of fear when you try to smile and say hello, no matter if you’re wearing a suit or a hoodie and jeans,” said Forest Turner Jr., a black graduate student at Perkins School of Theology.

Turner said he felt more comfortable driving through the neighboring town of Highland Park after he put a Perkins sticker on his car. “There’s times when I have the cops behind me, I’m wondering what will be said at my funeral,” he said, recalling in particular being pulled over several times while attending the University of North Texas.

Like being excluded from select groups. Joshua Smith, another Perkins grad student, said he once hinted for an invitation to a white classmate’s study group, but it was ignored. When he asked directly, he was was turned down. “We have everything all set up,” he was told.

Like being asked to represent all black people in classes where no one else looks like them. Idara Akpan, a junior marketing major, said a professor asked her what black consumers were buying. “I can’t speak for every black person,” she said.

Like hearing someone refer to a black person as “articulate.” “The way that idea usually finishes is ‘articulate for a black person.’ It’s assuming that the expectation is something different than to speak clear English,” said Alyssa Barnes, who is pursuing her master’s degree in vocal performance.

“What’s it like to be black at SMU?” SMU students answer the question, “What’s it like to be black at SMU?”

Video by Brian Elledge/The Dallas Morning News

Social media now offers a forum for more overt racism through anonymous comments about black students, the “Black Lives Matter” movement and black people in general.

Much of that vitriol is spewed on Yik Yak, an anonymous social network that’s popular on college campuses. People post messages, called “yaks,” that can be read by anyone within about 2 miles. Among those posted this fall around SMU:

“I don’t hate all black people, I just hate the specific black people with absurdly entitled demands”

“You don’t struggle, you just whine and complain to get more free sh— from everyone else like every other black welfare queen”

“Maybe black people should stop doing things to get killed by law enforcement”

“Why can’t they just shut up and be happy? There isn’t a racism problem at SMU, they’re trying to manufacture one”

R. Gerald Turner called anonymous online posts a “scourge.” “Yik Yak is a curse for this whole country because it’s anonymous,” he said.

“The discouragement of minorities may still be there, but it’s not as overt, and that means it’s more difficult to confront.” R. Gerald Turner, SMU president

Recent comments about black SMU women have been especially blistering. On the website GreekRank.com, people anonymously rate fraternity and sorority chapters at their college. One person this fall gave “reasons” why black SMU women have a hard time joining predominantly white sororities: “Y’all are aesthetically unpleasing to the eye … Y’all go to crappy high schools and generally don’t deserve to even be at SMU to begin with … Your personalities suck.” Unlike Yik Yak, GreekRank posts can be written and read from anywhere, so there’s no proof the author is an SMU student.

When people aren’t hiding anonymously online, they can still say things that sting, even if it’s unintentional, students say. Icenic Frazier, a senior majoring in communication, calls much of the commentary ignorant. “I’m not being called the N-word,” she said. “But it’s a lot of ignorance — people who don’t really understand the history or our culture. We have to go back and explain to them why it’s hurtful to our community.”

Such as the hurt caused by the party theme from Pi Kappa Alpha, a mostly white fraternity, and Alpha Epsilon Pi, which is predominantly Jewish. Hunter Rice and Andrew Ivankovich, fraternity members listed on Facebook as the party organizers, didn’t respond to numerous interview requests. But Rice posted a defense on Facebook saying that “our intention was never to offend anyone.”

When will people learn that party themes or costumes based on racist stereotypes count as racism. Perpetuating these images is unacceptable



Tweet by @JessicaSays64 When will people learn that party themes or costumes based on racist stereotypes count as racism. Perpetuating these images is unacceptable

The “Ice Age” party, as it was called, took inspiration from the black rapper 2 Chainz and his proud promotion of the “thug life,” Rice wrote. The party was “in no way remotely meant to mock black culture,” he said.

Rice also posted a video interview with Kolley, the rapper pictured in the party flier. In the video, Kolley says he was flattered that his face was used to promote the party. “I just hate that the understanding level is at an all-time low,” he says. “Everyone should just hit the delete button and forget about all the past history and think about what we can do together.”

Frazier and other black SMU students saw something entirely different with the rapper theme and its reference to thugs.

“I’m not being called the N-word. But it’s a lot of ignorance — people who don’t really understand the history or our culture. We have to go back and explain to them why it’s hurtful to our community.” Icenic Frazier, black SMU senior

“We actively try to kind of dismantle those types of stereotypes,” Frazier said. “We don’t want everyone thinking that black men are thugs, because those are the same reasons why kids are getting killed in the streets.”

Dear White People official movie trailer

Several black students said the SMU party seemed ripped from the script of the satirical movie Dear White People. In that 2014 film, racial tensions at a small college come to a boiling point when white students throw a Halloween party to “unleash your inner Negro” and dress like blacks. The movie features students struggling to find their identities, a sense of belonging and pride in themselves. That mirrors what students face on many campuses.

The film credits at the end are accompanied by photos from real parties at real universities that made headlines for their offensiveness.