“Embrace White Identity” Posters Condemned by Vanderbilt Multicultural Leadership Council

The Multicultural Leadership Council has released a statement regarding the American Renaissance flyers found on campus last week.

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The leaders of the MLC encourage students to attend the Divinity School’s Speak Your Peace Vigil on Saturday, Oct. 28.

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Full Text of the Vanderbilt Multicultural Leadership Council

To the Vanderbilt Community,

Recently, several posters promoting white supremacist ideals were found hanging in a Stevenson study room frequently used by Muslim Students. Those responsible for producing this content are known as the “American Renaissance,” a white nationalist organization classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. American Renaissance centers racist, hateful and anti-Semitic views in its rhetoric, and has long promoted the subjugation of minorities and people of color. The Vanderbilt Multicultural Leadership Council condemns this organization and its ideals in the strongest possible terms.

While we do not yet know which individuals were responsible for the posters, we sincerely hope that this was an isolated incident. However, the hateful values promoted by American Renaissance and all organizations like it have no place on our campus. The Multicultural Leadership Council is deeply disturbed by this attempt to frighten and degrade members of the Vanderbilt community through the use of racist and anti-Semitic propaganda.

We will be closely monitoring this situation, and look forward to collaborating with the IICC and our fellow governing councils to prevent further incidents. We ask that every member of the Vanderbilt community keep a watchful eye out for any further efforts to spread the disgusting, violent, and hateful rhetoric of white supremacist groups such as American Renaissance. It is up to us to create a campus that ensures the safety and well-being of every student, and to resist racism and bigotry wherever it appears. White supremacy and Islamophobia are not welcome or tolerated on our campus, nor will they ever be.