WashU St. Louis plants 'Black Lives Matter' flags across campus right before co-founder resigns
The flags marked the anniversary of the killing of George Floyd.
Two days after the event, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors stepped down from the activist organization amid controversy over her finances.
Washington University in St. Louis planted “Black Lives Matter” flags on its campus to mark the anniversary of George Floyd’s death on May 25.
To reference the nine minutes and 29 seconds that police officer Derek Chauvin spent kneeling on Floyd’s neck, the flags were arranged in the shape of “9:29.”
[RELATED: Columbia calls on Biden to appoint a ‘Secretary of Racial Justice’]
“The grass is thick and the ground is hard,” commented Mark Kamimura-Jiménez, the dean of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, in the statement. “That is symbolic of the Black Lives Matter struggle. But that hard work must start here. Students at Washington University will go on to influence organizations, businesses and government. Our nation has and will be shaped by the students who walk on this campus.”
“What Ahmaud, Breonna and George’s lynchings revealed as discovery for many in our society was already known intimately by communities of color,” he added. “Most importantly, the depths of racism had silently continued to seep into the crevices of our society, poisoning how we think, learn, understand and engage with each other.”
Two days after the university planted the flags, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors resigned from the organization following controversy over her $3.2 million home buying spree, according to the New York Post.
Washington University in St. Louis isn’t the first school to use Black Lives Matter imagery.
The University of Oklahoma and other members of the Big 12 athletics conference granted student-athletes the opportunity to wear a patch with the slogan “Black Lives Matter.”
[RELATED: University of Oklahoma athletes will wear ‘Sooners for Humanity & BLM’ patch]
Campus Reform reached out to Washington University in St. Louis for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.
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