After Jemein Lefang’s, a computer information systems freshman, car was vandalized with a racial slur on Sept. 24, discussions surrounding the seriousness of hate crimes are happening on campus.
The University Star interviewed Lefang, Texas State’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President Jordan Williams and Black Men United Vice president Jordan Hunter in order to gain perspective on this issue and insight on how this hate crime is affecting Lefang and the black community at Texas State.
Lefang said despite feeling supported by the university, his sense of safety is not the same as it once was.
“I’m just wary, because if I were to go somewhere at night time, is somebody gonna follow me?” Lefang said. “Obviously, somebody already was looking at me to know where I was parked.”
Upon finding out about the crime, Texas State’s NAACP chapter made efforts to bring campus awareness to the incident. Williams said the NAACP is an outlet for the Texas State community in regard to racial injustice.
“Any time a person feels like they’re experiencing some type of racial injustice or racial profiling on the Texas State campus, they are allowed to come to us and we will do everything we can to ensure they have a voice,” Williams said. “[We will] also fight with them until they feel like they’ve got the justice that they deserve.”
Williams said the NAACP initially found out about the incident through a Reddit post from Lefang’s sister. He said the NAACP released its statement when it became clear the university wasn’t going to say anything. Although Texas State President Kelly Damphousse has since released a statement condemning the crime, Williams said there is more to be done.
“There is a lot that could be done within [campus security] because there’s no way that someone should be able to have their car keyed like this,” Williams said. “Security cameras should be upgraded regularly.”
Lefang said after hearing others’ reactions to the hate crime, he felt the incident spoke to an issue larger than himself.
“It honestly made me more in tune with my political side, like it made me want to put a voice out there for more people,” Lefang said. “I feel like I was defaced. Not only me, but my car, and it was a message put out for me and all the other Black people.”
Williams said that though this was a terrible incident, it shows there is a larger problem at hand.
“It’s overall an issue of systematic hate,” Williams said. “That’s pretty much what it all boils down to. It’s the fact that systematic hate is allowed on campus. There should be no reason why the university allows people to express this type of hate. I feel like the university should speak against that, especially since they push for more minority colored people to come to this campus.”
Hunter said he feels the hate crime was a mostly isolated incident and Texas State does a good job in including all students, but the university should prioritize sitting down and having conversations about the hate crime and what it means for the future.
“I know administration cares for students and they’re willing to work with us,” Hunter said. “[We need] to make sure we’re still having conversations with administration and sitting down with them.”
Hunter also believes the student body has a large role in ensuring the hate crime remains an isolated incident.
“I think the student body can support Black students just by acknowledging what had happened, having the conversation of why did this happen and how it can be prevented in the future,” Hunter said. “I think that’s the most important thing; addressing it and talking about it and not letting it get swept under the rug, because though this is what I feel is an isolated incident, if it’s swept under the rug and not talked about, it could potentially happen again.”
This hate crime should’ve never happened at Texas State. However, it did and it’s crucial the ones who committed it are discovered and held accountable. To prevent this incident repeating itself in the future, acts of hate cannot be tolerated, and wider discussions surrounding racial hate need to be fostered on campus.
Speak On It is a collaboration of voices compiled by The University Star’s Editorial Board. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of our entire publication.
