Black Male Privilege. The phrase is almost laughable because in America such a thing has never existed. That didn’t stop a Black student at American River College (ARC) from posting a sign that read, “Masculine Black Men, Check Your Male Privilege Before Entering,” CBS Sacramento reported.
According to officials at ARC, the sign was meant to highlight “an upcoming conversation about race.” Instead, it deepened racial tensions among students on campus.
“We should not have to tolerate this thing,” student Alexandra Paige told CBS Sacramento. “I’ve been attacked over here, and I’ve been judged over here, and accused stealing over there and I am an American River College senator.”
Paige and other students said the sign is just the latest in a series of racist incidents at campus. A few days prior someone wrote “White Lives Matter” on a bathroom wall.
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Ironically, the sign was posted in the school’s Community and Diversity Center, which is supposed to be a “safe space” according to LuisGaelJimenez, a Reddit user who identifies himself as a non-Black male student at ARC. He wrote:
“This sign was posted inside of American River College’s Community and Diversity Center by the students of UNITE. In internal faculty emails, the Community and Diversity Center is saying that the sign has their full blessing because it was posted by black students — which somehow makes it okay? To me, a non-black male student, the fact that the sign singles out black men seems like it’s making the statement that black males are somehow more trouble than other groups and that they need to be especially aware of their blackness. The Community and Diversity Center is supposed to be the campus safe space, so this is especially concerning.”
ARC President Thomas Green said he was aware of student’s concerns and is working to address them. “Their perspective is valid, their experiences that they have are valid and they are frustrated,” Green said.
Though the sign was initially allowed to remain posted because it was done so by Black students, after receiving so much backlash from students and on social media, the sign was removed.
