By Katie Goss ’23
Business Manager & News Editor
Emails sent out to Black student organizations at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Sept. 17 are the latest in a series of attacks against UMass’ Black community this school year.
Starting around Sept. 8, various Black student organizations began receiving racist anti-Black messages promoted through emails written by the UMass Coalition for a Better Society. By Sept. 17, after another one of these emails had been sent to the organizations, screenshots were posted to Twitter and Instagram, which quickly gained attention from the UMass community and beyond.
Nefertiti A. Walker, the vice chancellor and chief diversity officer, sent a letter out to the UMass Amherst community on Sept. 23, condemning the emails and their racist content.
“All of these anti-Black racist acts run in stark contrast to who we strive to be, which is a campus where all students are welcomed and feel a strong sense of belonging,” Walker wrote in the email. “We condemn all acts of anti-Black racism and will work to diminish their intent to cause harm to Black students on campus.”
Four days later Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy also sent out an email echoing Walker’s original message, as well as sharing some initiatives the college will be taking in response to the incidents.
The emails follow another racist incident that occurred in late August on the campus. A group of people drove by a cluster of Black students at UMass Amherst and yelled “anti-Black racist epithets,” according to Walker.
Zach Steward, a junior at UMass Amherst, told Boston 25 News, “‘Every year since I’ve been here there’s been a racist incident and it feels like it’s only gotten worse … it feels like this place doesn’t care about me. It has never cared about me and never will.’”
Since these incidents have taken place, UMass has begun an investigation into the emails and extended support to the students who have been impacted. Both Walker and Subbaswamy notified the community through two emails that the UMass Police Department and the UMass IT Department are working to find the source of the emails. UMass has also urged students to report bias incidents to the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
“I want to assure you that we are committed to doing everything in our power to support our Black students at this difficult time and will spare no measure in our investigation to determine the perpetrator(s) of these incidents,” Subbaswamy wrote in the email. “As we chart a path through these troubling times, I am hopeful that we can all work together to stand up to intolerance and build a better, more equitable and just community.”
The Instagram account for the Black Student Union at UMass spoke out about these emails, as well as the college’s response, in a post made on Sept. 23. It was signed by multiple Black and African American student organizations at UMass. The post expressed a shared sentiment that the administration’s response time in addressing the incidents was inadequate and does not align with their values as a college.
“We are hurt,” the post read. “We are tired. And although we are disappointed, we are certainly not surprised.”
“Black organizations started receiving racist emails as early as the second week of September,” the post continued. “It took the university almost a month from the initial anti-Black racist incidents, to acknowledge these instances … [the school’s response time] is not reflective of a university that claims to be ‘committed in policy, principle and practice to maintaining an environment which prohibits discriminatory behavior and provides equal opportunity for all persons.’”
Mount Holyoke President Sonya Stephens sent a letter out to Mount Holyoke students and staff on Sept. 30, highlighting the events that occurred at as well as notifying the community of racist and antisemitic propaganda found both on campus and the Village Commons. This organization associated with the propaganda is known as Patriot Front. The Southern Poverty Law Center classified Patriot Front as “a white supremacist, nationalist hate group.”
“In the face of white supremacist propaganda here and across the nation, many in our community, especially Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and those from marginalized communities, are experiencing distress and anger, anxiety and exhaustion,” Stephens said. “We acknowledge your pain and will advocate for you to support you.”