October 4, 2017,

You may not be aware that on October 1^st racist graffiti was spray painted near the Salem State University baseball field.

As a result a group of students has planned a march on campus on Saturday, October 7^th from noon until 3:00 p.m.  The march will start from in front of the School of Social Work on Lafayette Street and end at the baseball field where there will be speakers.

The MSCA encourages members to attend the march and to show support for the students, faculty, librarians and staff at Salem State University, and the community in general.

As details may change, you can stay updated by viewing:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1976378775980902/

---

A message from the Salem Chapter Executive Board:

“The Executive Board of the Massachusetts State College Association (MSCA), the faculty union for Salem State University, writes to publicly condemn the deplorable white supremacist graffiti that appeared on our campus this past weekend. On college campuses and in communities throughout the nation, an immensely dangerous strain of racial politics has become legitimized.  As such, it is particularly important that we as a faculty unequivocally affirm the values that animate Salem State’s multi-ethnic community.

“The white supremacist graffiti scrawled on our baseball field pledged fealty to some of our history’s most heinous practices:  slavery, Jim Crow segregation, lynching, voter suppression, and a racially inequitable criminal justice system. This form of intimidation was meant to compromise our community’s ability to learn and work. We expect the administration to be transparent in its sharing of information, to treat the assault on our campus as a hate crime, and to hold the person(s) responsible fully accountable.

“This episode is an affront to Salem State University’s mission of empowering students, faculty and staff ‘from a wide range of races and ethnicities, cultures, political, and social worldviews, religious, and spiritual beliefs.’  It is absolutely essential that we stand firm against the most scurrilous racist behaviors and ideologies, but the Salem State Chapter of the MSCA recognizes that there is much more to be done on our campus to achieve racial justice than speaking out against overt act of white supremacy.  As we come together as a community to reject this nefarious hate crime, we must not be blinded to the more subtle forms of racial inequity on our campus.

“Lastly, we encourage you to join with us, other students, staff, faculty, and administration officials at forthcoming events on racial justice.  These public conversations are a critical step to show that the Salem State community will act in support of all of our members and our values.”