‘Make America White Again’ was drawn on whiteboard at UNF
The drawings depicted a woman in a hijab being called a terrorist
In the early hours of Thursday morning, a janitor at UNF was cleaning study rooms when he noticed drawings on one of the whiteboards said “Make America White Again.”
The drawings also depicted a wall, a man who telling another man to “go back to Mexico, alien,” and a woman in a hijab being called a terrorist.
After the incident, the university president and former Jacksonville mayor John Delaney sent out an email to the student body, urging students to “respect the opinions of others,” regardless of the election’s results.
He then thanked them for “all [the students] do to keep UNF inclusive, welcoming, and safe.”
We asked UNF students how it felt to see things like this at their school.
Hanna Malik, 19, Biomedical Science
Being a Hispanic Muslim woman and also being an American citizen – I was born and raised here – it’s really troubling for me to see things like that, especially in the place where I am getting an education. Growing up, I was always taught by my parents that everyone is equal and you should always treat others the way you want to be treated, so I’ve never been inclined to judge a person by their color or faith or anything like that because I know how it feels. It’s so disappointing that there are people raised around me who were never taught that or even taught the opposite.
Daniya Sayed, 20, Medical Lab Technology
I know we live in a conservative city and many of the students here come from conservative backgrounds, but we are also a school who takes in a lot of international students and them having to see this kind of stuff…what impact does that have on them? I am just disappointed but not surprised.
Maya Dartiguenave, 21, UNF graduate
I’m a UNF grad now, so obviously I’m going to feel connected to this school for forever. So, honestly, it’s so disheartening to see this done to our campus. Even though it’s a PWI (predominantly white institution), there are so many people of different races and ethnicities and it’s so beautiful to see (or, it was while I was a student). And, obviously I don’t know the motivations behind it. Truthfully, part of me thinks it was just an ignorant joke on behalf of some privileged asshats that just like drama. Even so, it still hurts to see that this is the way people get their entertainment.