N-word user’s race not disclosed … and dance school ‘predominately’ comprised of ‘people of color’
Black students at the University of Southern California’s Kaufman School of Dance claim the school “fosters a rich culture of racism” because a freshman allegedly called another first-year the “n-word” in ballet class last month.
After the alleged incident, Kaufman students held a forum at which they discussed “hate speech, discrimination and harassment,” the Daily Trojan reports. Approximately 100 students and faculty were in attendance.
During the forum, “multiple freshmen” admitted to using the n-word around others at Kaufman — which is “predominately” comprised of “people of color,” according to one student.
The freshman who was called the n-word (allegedly) said “A lot of the diverse people in Kaufman don’t feel safe with people like that in our class. People like [them] don’t create a safe environment for people to dance with and to talk to […] why would you want to dance with someone who’s called you the N-word?”
The student added “some students are taking ‘action’ to remove students who used hate speech,” but did not specify the nature of the “action.”
The Trojan does not note the race of the student(s) who uttered the slur, nor the context(s) in which it was used.
Prior to the forum, Kaufman Dean Julia Ritter sent a message saying her office “takes such reports very seriously,” but that the investigatory process “takes time.”
MORE: USC shutters DEI office, but keeps racially themed grad ceremonies, dorm sections
In a statement to the Trojan, USC said “countless hours have been spent meeting with students and faculty in an effort to better understand the underlying issues, respond to concerns.”
Ritter added students “should not presume others of breaking University policy until an official ruling came out.”
This led to a forum organizer accuser the dean of being “disrespectful.”
“[Ritter] was trying to push everything under the rug [to] quiet our voices, and to just make sure everything runs smoothly as normal […] she was trying to put this fear out to [make] us not have the school meeting,” the organizer said.
The (alleged) n-word victim added “There’s just points in my life where I’m like, ‘I don’t really want to stay here anymore,’ only because it just feels so unfair. But then also at the same time, I feel like leaving makes those people win.
“I don’t want to give it up because someone doesn’t respect my space or my color.”
MORE: USC revises program for black students only after federal complaint
IMAGE CAPTION & CREDIT: Skeptical black student; Damir Khabirov/Shutterstock.com