The recent Oberlin racism controversy has stunned the accepting, progressive campus and its students, and alumnus Lena Dunham — herself previously at the center of race-related criticism — sent a message to the school’s students via her popular Twitter feed yesterday.
The Oberlin racism issue became so severe it was covered in the New York Times , and the school was forced to cancel classes for a day after racially offensive behavior by a person or persons unknown on the campus disrupted students trying to go about their day.
According to the paper, the Oberlin racism issue prompted a huge meeting in the campus chapel, and the paper reports:
“At an emotional gathering in the packed 1,200-seat campus chapel, the college president, Marvin Krislov, apologized on behalf of the college to students who felt threatened by the incidents and said classes were canceled for ‘a different type of educational exercise,’ one intended to hold ‘an honest discussion, even a difficult discussion.’ “
The Times continued:
“In the last month, racist, anti-Semitic and antigay messages have been left around campus, a jarring incongruity in a place with the liberal political leanings and traditions of Oberlin, a school of 2,800 students in Ohio, about 30 miles southwest of Cleveland. Guides to colleges routinely list it as among the most progressive, activist and gay-friendly schools in the country.”
In response to the Oberlin racism incidents, Dunham sent the following two tweets to followers, expressing upset over the happenings and urging current students to band together and also to remember the history at Oberlin so counter to the controversy:
This really saddens me. The school I remember was the safest place to do you: nytimes.com/2013/03/05/edu…
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) March 4, 2013
Hey Obies, remember the beautiful, inclusive and downright revolutionary history of the place you call home. Protect each other.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) March 4, 2013
As police continue to investigate, it’s currently not known whether the Oberlin racism incidents are the work of students or people currently not enrolled at the institution.
