Duke University students and faculty arranged protests last week following an incident at the school in which a noose was hung from a tree overnight, which then caused an outrage on campus by the morning.

The noose was made from a thin yellow rope, and it was found hanging near a tree located near the building that houses the Center for Multicultural Affairs on campus in the early hours of the morning on April 1, according to an article published by CBS on April 2.

The original image of the noose was posted on the Duke People of Color Caucus Tumblr page on April 1 with the caption “To all black students, staff, faculty, and/or Durhamites on campus and in the area: Please take care of yourselves and each other. This campus is not a safe space, and has proven beyond any doubt that it is a hostile environment for any and all black people.”

The Duke People of Color Caucus is a group on campus that formed a few weeks ago in response to an incident on campus involving racists chants aimed at a black female student, according to the CBS article.

The Duke People of Color Caucus could not be reached for comment.

The student group released a statement on its Tumblr following the initial posting of the photo outlining its concerns and purpose as an organization amidst the recent racially targeted acts on Duke’s campus. The group’s statement was intended to be published in response to the racist chants that had occurred on campus weeks prior to the noose being found.

A statement The Duke People of Color Caucus discussed its vision of inclusion on campus. It was made in response to an email sent out by Richard Brodhead, president of Duke, and Sally Kornbluth, the provost at Duke.

“Our vision of radical inclusion involves the carving of spaces in which we are free from systematic violence targeting our marginal identities and free to live, to love, to create, to affirm ourselves, to defend ourselves, and to center the complexity of our experiences in our own lives,” the statement reads.

The group’s statement also highlighted what its goals are on campus, including not wanting “a world where everything is satisfactory because everyone is white or has assimilated to a white standard. Rather, we want a world in which our differences are acknowledged and celebrated.”

Members of the Duke community rallied in the days following the incident, and hundreds of students also attended a forum held by Duke campus officers regarding the noose being found, according to the CBS article.

Following protests, a student, who remains unnamed, has come forward and has admitted to hanging the noose from the tree. The university will take all necessary actions following the school’s student conduct process, according to an April 2 article by The Duke Chronicle, the university’s student newspaper.

The student is no longer on Duke’s campus, and the university is currently holding an investigation into whether or not other students or individuals were involved with the incident. They are also working with state and federal authorities to see whether or not criminal violations are a possibility, according to The Chronicle.

Published on April 8, 2015 at 9:15 pm

Contact Erin: eemcdona@syr.edu