We demand that Gonzaga University not only conduct an exhaustive search to find the indivudals responsible for the hate crime committed against our Gonzaga Black Student Union, but immeditaely expunge them from our community, and take action to combat hate speech and create an actively anti-racist campus.

This act of hate is one example of the continuous failure of our school to meaningfully, and substantially address the problem of systemic racism in our Gonzaga community. 

The Gonzaga mission statement calls on its students to “foster a mature commitment to the dignity of the human person, social justice, diversity, intercultural competence, global engagement, solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, and care for the planet.” The acts committed against Gonzaga Black Student Union violate basic human rights which the school claims to protect. Enough is enough, it is time that Gonzaga begins to uphold these alleged ‘community standards’ they claim to value. 

Yesterday, Nov. 8th, 2020, yet another act of racism and hateful speech occurred targeting Black Students at Gonzaga. A Gonzaga Black Student Union zoom meeting was disrupted with racial and homophobic slurs delivered by “anonymous” infiltrators. This act was met with yet another vapid apology statement from Gonzaga President Thayne M. McCulloh, Provost and Senior Vice President Dr. Deena J. González, Vice Provost of Student Affairs Dr. Kent Porterfield, and Associate Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Raymond F. Reyes. They claim “We are sickened and angered by this act of hatred against our students, and consider this act to be a violation of both our community standards and an inappropriate attack on our university community.” However, the history of recurring racist attacks targeting black students at Gonzaga, and the continued failure to address this problem of racism with serious action, does not support evidence of a Gonzaga truly valuing these alleged ‘community standards’.