UD community comes together; addresses racism
Images of a noose-like wire went viral late Tuesday night, sparking outrage among students at the University of Delaware.
That outrage quickly spread through social media, and by Wednesday morning the images were at the center of a University hate crime investigation.
“I was very enraged, sad, fearful,” Said Lauren McCrea, a junior at UD.
University officials tell 47 ABC that a police investigation revealed that what appeared to be “nooses” were actually the remnants of decorations put up for the school’s alumni weekend which took place in June.
Dr. Nancy Targett, the university’s president, tells 47 ABC, “There were a series of lanterns that were put around the campus and we determined that they were up there for that event.” and “The outer part was paper, so the outer part was either taken away or dissolved away.”
McCrea still questions the investigation’s findings. She tells us that she had never seen the wires before and that their appearance is rather coincidental.
“Considering that we just had a protest saying black lives matter, and then we saw these “lantern like remnants” in the trees, I was here on Monday, I didn’t notice it.”
Regardless of how the wires got there or who is right or wrong – the campus community came together in a productive way Wednesday evening attempting to heal and move forward.
Students along with faculty took to the podium to talk about the pain, struggle, and experiences they’ve endured because of their skin color.
An exercise that was both encouraging for African-American students like Mcrea, “I think the dialogue is important because we act like it (racism) doesn’t exist.”
As well as educating for school administrators like Dr. Targett, who recognizes the need to improve, saying, “they shared very emotional experiences with us in a way that helped us to understand what they’re going through here at UD.” and “We need to do better.”
President Targett also tells 47 ABC that a number of students came forward to assist with the investigation, providing pieces of evidence that helped police wrapped things up.
