Black Yale group denounces ‘white alliance’ flyers

Harkness Tower at Yale University in New Haven. Harkness Tower at Yale University in New Haven. Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Black Yale group denounces ‘white alliance’ flyers 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN — The Black Student Alliance at Yale on Wednesday denounced the posting of flyers promoting a “Union of Yale White Student’s” (sic) and said the incident Tuesday was not an isolated case of racism at the university.

Yale University police are investigating the reports that two masked people posted the flyers on Cross Campus Tuesday, which was first reported by the Yale Daily News. The flyers quoted white supremacist and slave-owner John C. Calhoun, a U.S. vice president who was a member of the Yale class of 1804, as saying, “In looking back, I see nothing to regret, and little to correct.”

“By invoking the sentiment of an unapologetic white supremacist, the vandals who posted these flyers made their racist intentions clear,” the Black Student Alliance stated on their Facebook page. “Their cowardly decision to wear masks evokes imagery of the Ku Klux Klan and the mere possibility of a ‘White Student’s Union of Yale’ threatens the livelihood and safety of Yale’s students of color.”

The alliance said the posting of the flyers “was not an isolated incident — students of color at Yale are constantly demeaned and provoked by their peers and alumni who see them as being undeserving and out-of-place.” The posters were removed and replaced by “messages of support for people of color,” according to the Yale Daily News.

Kimberly Goff-Crews, Yale secretary and vice president for student life, said police were reviewing video footage to try to identify the people who posted the flyers.

Yale President Peter Salovey wrote an email to the Yale community Tuesday night in which he said, “I find the sentiments signified by these flyers deeply troubling, and I want to be clear: hate is not welcome on our campus.”

Salovey said it was not clear whether the people who put up the signs were associated with Yale and that they violated the university’s rules because the group is not a registered student organization. He said both the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups nationally, and the Anti-Defamation League had been notified.

One of Yale’s first residential colleges was named for Calhoun, igniting decades of controversy until its name was changed in 2017 to honor Grace Murray Hopper, who earned two advanced mathematical degrees at Yale and served as an admiral.

The Black Student Alliance said it called on Yale’s administration “to prioritize the safety of its students of color while renewing its commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive community. On a campus where many students of color have had negative interactions with the police, it is imperative that students of color feel supported by the administration.”

In his email, Salovey wrote, “As I have said in the past, the answer to speech one finds repugnant is more speech. I have no doubt that the members of the Yale community will respond to expressions of hate, racism, and exclusion on this campus with even stronger affirmations of our values — and a renewed commitment to creating a diverse, inclusive community where all people are welcomed. Thank you for joining me in this important and ongoing work.”

Cross Campus is the lawn in front of Sterling Memorial Library, off College Street, between Berkeley College’s two buildings, Grace Hopper College and Harkness Hall.

After years of controversy over the outspoken supporter of slavery, Calhoun College became the focus of protests after a white man killed nine black worshippers in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. It was later renamed for Hopper.

The slayings brought out calls to remove symbols of the Confederacy, such as the taking the Confederate battle flag off the grounds of the South Carolina state Capitol.

Salovey, after first deciding not to rename Calhoun College despite protests that Calhoun was an ardent and vocal supporter of slavery, in 2015 formed a Committee to Establish Principles on Renaming. Based on the committee’s report, Salovey reversed course and renamed the college.

In May, Goff-Crews promised to commit the school to addressing the racial divide on campus after a black graduate student was reported to campus police for sleeping in a common room.

Goff-Crews said in a campus-wide email at that time that she was “deeply troubled” by the incident in the Hall of Graduate Studies, in which philosophy major Sarah Braasch, who is white, called police to report Lolade Siyonbola, an African studies major.

In that email, Goff-Crews wrote, “As Vice President for Student Life, I have worked with administrators, faculty and students to strengthen the resources available to address incidents of racial bias, discrimination and harassment. This incident and others recently reported to me underscore that we have work to do to make Yale not only excellent but also inclusive. I strongly believe we must strive to create an environment that values equity and justice and in which all students are empowered to pursue their personal and professional goals — an environment that is diverse, intellectually challenging, and broadly welcoming.”