Michigan State University came under fire last week over a display at a performing arts center on campus.
The display featured several black leaders, including Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Prince, and many others, hanging from what seemed to be a tree. The leaders included.
“Regardless of the intent of the display, its impact cannot be ignored, people were hurt and offended,” university spokesperson Emily Gerkin Guerrant said in a released statement.
“We sincerely apologize to our community members and have immediately removed the display,” she explained.
The Wharton Center, the performance arts center where the incident took place, has agreed to “provide employees and volunteers with racial bias training that focuses on the impact and understanding of intentional and unintentional racial bias.”
“We have work to do, and MSU remains committed to creating a culture that is inclusive and safe for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors. As we enter Black History Month, it’s important we not only recognize the many contributions of African Americans, but we remember history and confront all bias,” Guerrant’s statement said.
Krystal Rose-Davis Dunn, a black graduate student at Michigan State, saw the display after leaving a concert and shared the image with Facebook.
“I went to the jazz concert to escape from all that and unwind,” Davis-Dunn said, according to USA TODAY.
The president of the Black Student Alliance on the campus, Sharron Reed-Davis, spoke about and released a statement regarding the Black community’s feelings.
“The Black community is sick and tired of having to see something racist at every turn,” Reed-Davis said. “We are tired of having to put on a strong face 24/7, especially at the place we’re supposed to call home, this university is toxic.”
