By: Alex M.

Dear Operation Save America,

Yesterday at 10am, you flooded Millsaps campus front gates and began besieging our home, screaming slurs and hate speech at my classmates trying to get to class. You broke into one of our dorm buildings, and we had to evacuate our home because we were afraid you would take violent action against us. Today you came to our campus and called a group of middle schoolers “sluts” and told them God hated them. Their only crime was from being from a poor intercity middle school which our campus agreed to give tours to today. Today our security after an hour was able to chase you out, but not before you hit my friends in the face and verbally assaulted everyone you came into contact with.

I will not condemn you for your ignorance, because I understand you were not given to life circumstances to learn compassion or that hatred was not the only or rational way. I will not condemn you for your lack of control, because I am lead to believe that perhaps you were never given the tools or the love or proper socialization to understand how to interact harmoniously with other humans. I will not even condemn you for your homophobia or racism or sexism or Anti-Semitism. I was taught at my school that this stems from lack of experience and inability to experience, and thus I pity you for the sparse nature of your life. It must be awful to be defined by hating something.

I will condemn you for your hypocrisy, and failing to do what any effective protestor should do: research. You say you protect the innocent. You say you are defenders of truth, and God’s right hand men and women. Then I want to know: why did you break into my home? Why did you physically attack my classmates and my teachers? What innocents were you defending by screaming at 12 year old girls, and where was your mission when you screamed at my friend (wearing a long dress and sweater) that she was a slut and would burn in hell? When did college students, teachers, and children stop becoming innocent and become de facto enemies of God?

I charge you with hypocrisy of your religion, because I have never heard of a God that believes people getting ready to go to school should go to hell, and I have never heard of a God who told his followers abortion was illegal. I have only heard of Gods of compassion, of a Jewish man who said “Let he without sin cast the first stone.” In my 19 years, I have never heard of a single rational reason why a woman unable to care for a child should have one. I was told that the religion you follow preached that your God was unconditional love.

My entire campus mobilized against your organization, and we sure as hell drove you out. Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Anarchists, White people, People of Color, Gay, Trans, Straight, Lesbian-we came together without anyone even asking, called the cops screaming and physically chased you away.

Because here’s the thing. You didn’t do your research. I am a student of Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. We are one of the most liberal and free thinking colleges in the south. In the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, my college saved Civil Rights Activists lives by hiding them from the KKK and giving freedom riders safe haven. We were allies to end segregation. We were the first college to end segregation in MS, and the only college in MS that has a discrimination policy that protects against discrimination based on sexuality. We have a Social Justice major. We tirelessly, fearlessly, and compassionately fight for human rights and every day we look at the motto inscribed on the statue of our John Wesley statue: Do all the good you can by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can at all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.

We are Millsaps College. And we will fight.