Last weekend anonymous posts targeting South Asians at Boston College appeared on Herrd, a popular social media app used at the college, The Heights reports.
Herrd allows students to anonymously post things they have heard around campus.
According to students from Boston College’s South Asian Students Association (BCSASA), users posted statements like, ”If my Marriage Pact was a South Asian, I would want to kill myself” and “If your last name is Patel, Kumar, Singh, Gupta, or Dhaliwal, like please shut up” over the weekend.
BCSASA released a statement condemning the racist posts.
“This past weekend, there were several posts on Herrd containing racist stereotypes and hate speech towards South Asians in the Boston College Community,” the club said. “We, as the South Asian Student Association, fully denounce these actions and call for a proper solution.”
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According to The Heights, Herrd deleted the posts and sent an email to the user who had posted them. The app is working with Boston College’s administration to see how they want to handle the incident.
Lubens Benjamin, chair of the AHANA+ Leadership Council, an intercultural center that represents people of African, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent, told The Heights that Boston College has a history of hate against Asians.
“This isn’t anything new,” Benjamin said. “It’s something that’s been continued, and it just shows that whenever we don’t take steps, these same instances repeatedly happen over and over again.”
Ishaan Kaushal, a member of the SASA told The Heights he feels the messages are reflective of the hate and discrimination Asians face across the country.
“The relationship America has with Asian Americans is a very shallow pool,” he said. “On the surface, it looks nice. … They love going out to eat Thai food, love to consume Asian media, but when push comes to shove, the appreciation doesn’t go that deep.”
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