News that a racist text message sent to a student at Occidental College in Los Angeles has sparked outrage among students and even politicians about the delayed response from the school.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the text from a friend received by junior Anaise Nugent read “All asian people need to die.”
That was followed by another text which said Asians are “responsible for the pandemic so they need to die for that too.”
Nugent did not share the texts until October or November- a year later.
“I tried to give her an opportunity to learn from it, and she never did,” Nugent said to the Times.
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She said the texter would go on to make comments about Black athletes who she said took opportunities away from other students.
Recently Heard reports that the texts were originally only known to the campus administration and the offender’s sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, which Nugent also belongs.
Earlier this month, someone posted the thread to Instagram prompting students to ask why nothing was done about the incident earlier.
Occidental College President Harry J. Elam Jr. sent out a campus wide email that the law protects freedom of speech. The student eventually voluntarily left the school, but not as a result of any suspension.
Congressional candidate David Kim tweeted “Outrage-triggered PR statements and “remorse and regret” from admin do little to #StopAsianHate.”
According to the Times, Kappa Alpha Theta suspended the student from the chapter, but national sorority leader opposed the action citing bylaws which say members can’t be punished for actions taken prior to joining the sorority.
The Occidental chapter is now considering disbanding.
Member Shanna Yeh says she reported the text to the administration, but felt brushed off.
“I didn’t barge into these meetings asking for the student to be expelled. I mainly was looking for accountability,” Yeh said to the Times. “I was looking for accountability in the form of recognition of the harm caused and how violent the language used was.”
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