Show ETSU we are stronger than bigots and those who enable their behavior!

On Saturday, September 28, while roller skating in a campus parking lot, ETSU student Joi Malone was harassed by a group of white male students who blocked her path with their car and called her a variety of obscene racial slurs. Joi submitted two incident reports regarding the verbal attacks, but initially received no follow-up from campus police. After contacting the Dean of Students, Joi was informed that the police did not think there was camera coverage of the area she was in. Campus police stated that they could not take action without camera footage, and directed her instead to seek out counseling services.

After Joi posted a TikTok that went viral online and amassed more than 200,000 views and nearly 40,000 likes, ETSU’s campus police updated their response. They informed Joi that they did, in fact, have camera coverage of the area and were working on locating the students who harassed her based on the car’s license plate number. This showed that the necessary tools to bring Joi justice were always available; however, ETSU only utilized them once their reputation was at stake. Where is the proactivity? How many Black students must be affected before administration takes action?

YDSA’s Demands from ETSU 

1. A written statement from Brian Noland and the Student Government Association condemning this incident of racial harassment from students.
2. An open panel with ETSU administration, including Brian Noland, to allow Black students on campus to share their experiences with racism and directly talk to the administration about action steps to prevent further occurrences.  
3. Clarifications regarding disciplinary action for use of hate speech, including slurs, on ETSU campus. We demand that ETSU has a more streamlined and transparent method of addressing incidents of racial harassment.
4. A complete reimbursement of Joi’s tuition for the Fall 2024 semester.

YDSA condemns racism in all forms, including complacency with oppressive systems. We recognize that in situations where upholding the status quo puts Black students at risk daily, silence is violence. YDSA contends that anti-racists will always be louder, stronger, and more cohesive as a whole than any group of racists.