UC Santa Barbara Black Studies department condemns suspension of Multicultural Center, makes no mention of Jewish students
Faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara posted a statement on the school's website condemning the temporary closure of the MultiCultural Center (MCC), without making a single mention of Jewish students.
Faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara posted a statement on the school’s website condemning the temporary closure of the MultiCultural Center (MCC), without making a single mention of Jewish students.
As reported by Campus Reform, an MCC Instagram caption from late February contained posters from the center’s entrance doors, which contained a sign reading “Zionists not welcome.”
In the statement posted on March 2, a “concerned group of Black Studies faculty” wrote that the temporary closure of the MCC is “deeply troubling.”
”The UCSB administration’s closure of the MCC and its social media adds to a deeply troubling series of recent actions by the University that demonstrate a lack of leadership during a precarious moment in American higher education,” the statement reads. “The closure of the MCC entails the cancellation and displacement of multiple events organized to open conversations about political and gendered violence, as well as to support students’ development of empowered public voices. These event cancellations, in conjunction with the proposed policies described above, signal a threat to BIPOC, queer, and trans students’, staff’s, and faculty’s ability to engage in free and public intellectual activity both in person and virtually.”
[RELATED: UCSB suspends Multicultural Center after photos of anti-Semitic signage spark backlash]
Faculty members who wrote the statement called for a “day-long voluntary interruption of activities on Thursday, March 7.”
”This day of interruption will be followed by work slowdowns, a tradition of day-to-day resistance employed on plantations during chattel slavery, which signal our refusal to commit extra labor to an institution that has not sufficiently demonstrated its commitment to all freedoms,” they wrote.
University of California, Santa Barbara Associated Students President Tessa Veksler, who says she’s “unapologetically Jewish,” was targeted in the signs that were posted.
One sign painted Veksler as a “racist Zionist,” with another warning that “you can run but you can’t hide Tessa Veksler.” At least two other posters accused Veksler of “support[ing] genocide.”
“In case we aren’t clear, let’s spell it out,” read a now-deleted MCC Instagram caption earlier this week. A sign saying “Zionists not welcome,” was also seen in the story. Additional pictures show posters inside the MCC, reading “When people are occupied, Resistance is justified,” “Zionists get 0 b--ches,” and “Zionists are not welcomed! Stay away from our kitchen too!”
The University of California, Santa Barbara initially condemned the posters, stating they are “a violation of our principles of community and inclusion.”
”Campus offices are reviewing these unauthorized and unofficial messages. The signage has been removed and campus is conducting a bias incident review based on potential discrimination related to protected categories that include religion, citizenship, and national or ethnic origin,” university officials wrote.
A spokesperson for the university told Campus Reform on Friday that the MCC will re-open soon.
”Student Affairs is working to resume activity and programming at the MultiCultural Center as soon as possible. There’s a great sense of urgency to resume activity at the Center because of its vital role in supporting underrepresented students and communities,” the statement read. “Given the nature of the MCC and the highly interdependent roles of career staff, student staff, and interns in bringing the mission of the MCC to life, it is Student Affairs’ goal to bring these groups back into a shared community and to facilitate reflection, healing, and shared understanding. Student Affairs anticipates space for these foundational dialogues will be offered this week, which will mark the beginning of ongoing work to resume the MCC’s operations and fuller realization of its mission.”
