Campaign to END Campus Racism

Photo and campaign information courtesy of the NAACP Youth & College Division Website

Campaign Overview

Over the past few years, students of color have reported a dramatic increase in acts of racial discrimination, intolerance, hate crimes and insensitivity amongst different cultures at institutions of higher education. Hateful and racially insensitive incidents have occurred on some of the most prestigious campuses in the country - Clemson University, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Connecticut and Johns Hopkins University just to name a few. Often, these acts can be attributed to many factors; including a lack of knowledge of what constitutes acts of racial intolerance and hate and a lack of appropriate consequences brought forth from university officials.

In an effort to address this escalating problem, the NAACP Youth & College Division has created a Campaign to End Campus Racism; a multi-level campaign that seeks to achieve significant changes at various levels of the educational hierarchy -- from policy making bodies to student populations. The campaign will work to end campus racism through mobilization on state board of regents, private institutions and state/federal legislators with a comprehensive policy that demands intolerance of racist acts and behavior within institutions of higher education.

Campaign Goals

The goals of the Campaign to End Campus Racism are the following:

• Establish a campaign email address that will allow students, faculty and staff members to report incidents of hate that take place specifically on college and university campuses: stopracism@naacpnet.org.
• Create a campaign protocol for NAACP units to follow when a hate incident has taken place on the campus and outlines when national intervention in necessary.
• Work with college and university administrations to create comprehensive policies that will include: proactive training to reduce the level of insensitivity on campuses; the requirement of investigative and sensitivity training for campus police; as well as university disciplinary guidelines that create a level of accountability.
• Issue a Call to Action for University Presidents/Chancellors to create a Special Taskforce on Campus Hate to proactively address issues of diversity and campus inclusion at all levels in the university.
• Demand that colleges and universities comply with all state hate crime report requirements.
• Publish a quarterly report that outlines hate incidents that occur on campuses throughout the county and provides follow-up information on documented cases. 

Do SOMETHING! Take this Racism Incident Report Form and report any acts of racism you see!