Content Warning: This article contains references to hateful language directed toward minority groups.
Just steps away from a cemetery with graves of Confederate soldiers, students discovered on Oct. 27 that an unknown individual had defaced several areas along Oxford College’s Hearn Nature Trail with white spray paint reading “KKK,” which historically stands for the Ku Klux Klan.
Along with white spray paint reading “KKK” on a tree, an unknown party also spray-painted “FU” on a tree trunk. Near the trees, there was also spray paint on the surrounding stones and ground. Additionally, an unidentified party spray-painted a plaque dedicated to former Oxford Professor of Religion Hoyt Oliver (54Ox, 56C), who died in 2021, in Serenity Circle on the nature trail.
Oxford College Dean Badia Ahad and Senior Associate Dean of Campus Life Darleny Cepin addressed the spray-painted messages in an Oct. 28 email to the student body.
“Yesterday, a group of our students discovered a hateful message spray painted along a trail near campus. We removed it immediately,” Ahad and Cepin wrote. “We know how deeply troubling this is, and we want you to know that this does not reflect who we are as a community.”
Ahad and Cepin added that they know that this incident “can cause pain, fear, and anger,” among those who feel targeted by the messages.
Oxford Student Government Association (OxSGA) Executive Vice President Delaney Arnold (26Ox) spoke on the significance of the markings, specifically in the context of Oxford’s history. In 1861, during the Civil War, Oxford closed and the Confederate army used the campus as a military hospital and outpost.
“The fact that declarations like that are kind of marking Oxford as not a safe space for everyone is really concerning, especially with Oxford’s history and their role in the Civil War and a lot of the historical issues of being a university in the South,” Arnold said.
Arnold called the graffiti “disgusting and embarrassing,” and added that it was “out of touch in so many ways,” given Emory’s recent shift away from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Interim University President Leah Ward Sears (80L) announced in a Sept. 3 statement that Emory would close its DEI programs and offices in response to federal policies.
Arnold said she hopes OxSGA will pass a resolution condemning the act of vandalism, and is proud that the administration has acknowledged it.
Earlier this year, another unknown party wrote a “hateful” message on the Atlanta campus’s McDonough Field, spelling out the N-word in the snow. Chancellor and President Emeritus Gregory Fenves addressed the incident in an email to the Emory community and said the Emory Police Department was reviewing security footage. There have been no campus-wide updates on the incident following Fenves’ statement on Jan. 16.
In their statement to the Oxford community, Ahad and Cepin added that the school is investigating the matter with the help of several university departments, including the Emory Police Department (EPD), Campus Life and the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance.
If you or someone you know experienced hateful language or slur use, you can call the Emory Police Department at (404) 727-6111 or reach Emory’s Counseling and Psychological Services at (404) 727-7450 or https://counseling.emory.edu/. You can reach the Atlanta Police Department at (404) 614-6544 and the Lines for Life Racial Equity Support Line from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. at (503) 575-3764. You can reach the Trevor Project’s LGBTQ crisis support services 24/7 by calling +1 (866) 488-7386, texting 678-678 or visiting https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/.
Kimble Schiller (she/her) (26Ox,28C) is from Houston, Texas and is majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law. Outside of the Wheel, she can be found studying, hiking, writing for fun, or spending time with friends.
