Student groups pushback against the removal of Fidel Castro quote, citing racial 'concerns'

Three student multicultural student groups at Pennsylvania State University published a joint statement disagreeing with the removal of a Fidel Castro quote displayed in the school’s Cultural Center.

The Penn State Black Caucus published the joint letter that states “While we understand the unrest in Cuba right now, the conduct of the situation reveals the hypocrisy of University administration and lack of support for students of color at Penn State. 

The Penn State Latino Caucus and the Penn State APIDA Caucus also signed the statement.

[RELATED: VIDEO: Students confused to see ‘controversial’ American flag flown by Cuban protesters]

After Venezuelan émigré student Erik Suarez drew attention to the matter, Penn State University promised to remove the quote stating “The University agrees with the concerns you and others have expressed and the quote is being removed.” The Caucus states that its main concerns “lie with the minimal thought and time spent to make this decision by university administration.” 

Despite Suarez being the leader of the movement to remove the quote, the Caucus complained that he was backed by “majority white organizations.”

“Three majority white organizations had no trouble implementing change in a space created for communities of color within a matter of days,” the group complained.

The group went on to state that the decision “sets a precedent of priority for non-POC organizations and their concerns.” 

[RELATED: WATCH: Cubans Give College Students A Lesson On Communism]

Campus Reform contacted the Universities and these groups for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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