A young Black swimmer had the N-word carved into his chest by a teammate, an investigation by Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania is underway and there has been almost inevitable talk of a teachable moment and hopes for a better tomorrow.
All this is far different from the response to cries Jewish students were feeling unsafe because of anti-Gaza genocide protests on campus.
Zionist groups, politicians and mainstream media demanded criminal charges, expulsions, firing of professors or staff who show sympathy for Palestinians or an affinity for free speech, and removal of college presidents who didn’t support specious charges of anti-Semitism from groups like the ADL.
Why do calls for punishment and accountability never follow attacks and targeting of Black students who suffer most from hate crimes on campus?
An FBI report found our children are still the main victims when it comes to campus hate. Research also shows these real, not imagined, and underreported anti-Black acts are on the rise.
“Two weeks ago on the evening of, Sept. 6, our son became the victim of a hate crime. The incident took place at a gathering of swim team members. It is important to note that he was the only person of color at this gathering.
The reprehensible act was committed by a fellow student-athlete, someone he considered his friend, someone whom he trusted. This student used a box cutter to etch the N-word across his chest,” said the family of the victim in a Sept. 20 statement.
“In less than 48 hours after the incident, our son was interviewed by the members of the coaching staff and summarily dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team.
The punitive action was taken prior to the commencement of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities own investigation. This does not appear to have followed the policies and procedures stated in the Gettysburg College Student-Athlete Manual.
“As we wait to discuss the decisions made by college staff, the harm continues without much relief. Media outlets (social, online, and broadcast) continue to perpetuate misinformation stemming from an act of racial animus.
In the same vein, the isolation that pairs with being isolated from many in the Gettysburg College community that he had come to trust deepens the harm,” said his parents.
“Complaints citing racial discrimination, harassment and lack of due process have been filed with the NAACP Harrisburg chapter and the NAACP Pennsylvania conference. We have also filed a similar complaint with the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations. We are well aware that we retain the right to pursue local, state and federal criminal charges in this matter,” said the family.
“Our son did not choose to have a hateful racial slur scrawled across his chest, but he has chosen not to return the hate. He did not choose the color of his skin tone, but has chosen to embrace the strength and diversity it represents. Our son did not choose to be shunned and isolated at the behest of some who pay lip service to inclusion and diversity.”
According to the FBI, reported hate crimes in elementary schools through college have almost doubled. “From 2018 through 2022, the most common bias type of reported hate crime offenses at schools was Anti-Black or African American, with 1,690 reported hate crime offenses involving this bias type during the observed five years.
Followed by Anti-Jewish (745 offenses), and Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (Mixed Group) (342 offenses),” the report states. The most frequently reported offenses were intimidation, destruction of or damage to property, vandalism, and simple assault, added the January report.
The FBI said about one-third of historically Black colleges and universities were subjected to bomb threats.
According to Gettysburg College, located in southern Pennsylvania, the student who did the chest carving has left school. But the college didn’t say whether the student was dismissed.
A joint statement later released by the Black victim’s family and the college read, “The investigation is nearing its conclusion, and we can report now that the individual who scratched a slur onto another person is no longer enrolled at the College. … Both parties understand that this process will take time and are committed to working together.”
“The College and the family both recognize the gravity and seriousness of this situation and hope it can serve as a transformative moment for our community and beyond,” the statement added.
The failure to demand punishment and prosecutions for assaults on Black students only diminishes the harm our children suffer and minimizes these vile crimes, as in criminal acts, committed against us.
White institutions never want to punish White people and are always out to protect White children. We see it over and over.
We see it later with police officers, judges, prosecutors, CEOs, supervisors, lawmakers, bankers, real estate agents, teachers, doctors and ordinary White people on the street who negatively impact our lives.
One reason why? Black concerns and Black lives don’t matter and Whites can do as they please. These were lessons well taught and well learned in school.
But there is a lesson we must learn: No matter where we are and what White institution we are dealing with, we will never have peace with Caucasian people.
Every incident like this is another sign of the rightness of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan teaching us that separation is truly the only solution to the race problem and our suffering in America. And it’s the only solution we have not tried.
Follow Naba’a Muhammad, award-winning Final Call editor, on X/Twitter at @RMfnalcall. You can also find him on Facebook. He can be reached via email at [email protected].
