Lathrop students hold events against hate

John Palmer Senior Editor

Two Lathrop residents each organized events in reponse to swastikas written on the walls of the dorm. On Monday, Dec. 5, Shaina Brassard ’08 organized a peaceful demonstration. It was intended to “send the message that we won’t tolerate hate in the spaces that we live,” according to Brassard. The following day, Lathrop House Intern Kate Zambon ’07 held a faculty discussion, called “Hate Images and Iconography” to explore the definitions of free speech and hate speech with regard to history and culture.

Both events came less than two weeks after swastikas were reported on the walls of Lathrop and one bench outdoors on the Quad side. The swastikas were drawn by a guest of a current student.

The demonstration was held “to get people thinking” about the security and social atmosphere of students’ living spaces, according to Brassard. “I wanted to do something that would be symbolic [and] send the message that we won’t tolerate expressions of hate in the spaces that we live,” she said.

“One of the really good things about today is, a lot of people didn’t know what happened,” said Brassard, referring to the graffiti. “I think it’s helpful to educate the people who live here.”

Marni Grossman ’08, another student participant in the demonstration, said, “It gets people to think about what they want their space to be about.”

The location of the demonstration, the Lathrop lobby, was chosen to attract the most attention from fellow students. “You can’t force people to go to a lecture, but you can force them to see this when they go in and out of the dorm,” said Brassard.

At the demonstration, approximately 100 nametags were passed out with slogans such as “I stand up against racism” and “No hate in my house.”

Brassard was joined by about eight students throughout the day, greeting Lathrop students and other students who stopped in. Many students made signs with anti-hate speech slogans. Students also expressed their thoughts on a mural. Kristy Lilas ’06 wrote, “Vassar used to be my only safe space...Now where do I go?”

A second event, held Dec. 6, was a discussion held in Lathrop’s multipurpose room with Associate Professor of History Maria Hoehn and Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies Ismail Rashid. The discussion explored the historical and cultural representations of images. Discussion ranged from topics in post-fascist Germany to present-day censorship on American television. Most of the discussion centered on the boundaries of free speech.

Zambon, who organized the event, said, “I think people need to talk about these issues,” said Zambon. “Issues of free speech and hate speech are always evolving and always complicating,” she said.

Zambon said that Lathrop will hold an another event early next semester, which will involve explore the psychology of hate.

Additional reporting by Anita Varma, Editor in Chief