On Sept. 27, the Michigan Political Union at the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus held a public forum debating whether “Black Lives Matter is harmful to racial relations in the United States.” However, BLM activists who were outraged over the topic and recent racial incidents disrupted the forum.
According to an Atlanta Black Star report, racist fliers appeared on the campus this past weekend instructing white female college students to avoid Black males. Fliers, entitled “Why White Women Shouldn’t Date Black Men,” cited false data claiming Black males have sexually transmitted diseases. The fliers also stated that Black males are prone to violence and are unsuitable people.
MLive reports that protesters stormed the Vandenberg room about 10 minutes into the debate Tuesday. According to a report from The College Fix, nearly 450 students–mostly Black– occupied the room in the counter protest. Most of the debate attendees were white noted protester Christiana Allen.
As protesters flooded the room, they could be heard saying “Black Lives Matter does not hurt race relations, racists hurt race relations,” per MLive.
“You cannot trivialize my experience as a Black person and [then] debate it,” protest organizer Lawrielle West told MLive. “You’re not Black. And even if you are, we have different experiences.”
The protesters continued for an hour until debate planners decided to end the discussion.
