A black dishwasher at Yale University lost his job after breaking a stained-glass window in a dining hall that depicted slaves picking cotton, the New Haven Independent reported Monday.
Corey Menafee, 38, told the newspaper that he broke the “racist, very degrading” image with a broom handle in a frustrated outburst on June 13.
Menafee was arrested by New Haven police and now faces a felony charge. Yale Vice President for Communications Eileen O’Connor told the Independent that Menafee apologized and voluntarily resigned his post after the incident, which caused glass to fall on a female passerby walking next to the window. O’Connor said that the university won’t seek prosecution or restitution.
The pane in question decorated the dining hall at Calhoun College, named for alum and pro-slavery former Vice President John C. Calhoun. The university in April announced that the college’s name would be preserved despite a year-long protest by students and faculty to change it and to remove the slavery-themed paintings and stained-glass panes scattered throughout the college. University officials announced last week that some panes depicting scenes from Calhoun’s life would be taken down.
Menafee told the Independent that he decided to knock the panel down on a random impulse and was not motivated by the name-changing campaign.
“I took a broomstick, and it was kind of high, and I climbed up and reached up and broke it,” he told the newspaper. “It’s 2016, I shouldn’t have to come to work and see things like that.”
“I just said, ‘That thing’s coming down today. I’m tired of it,’” he added. “I put myself in a position to do it, and did it.”
According to the newspaper, Manafee faces a second-degree misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment and a first-degree felony charge of criminal mischief. He is set to appear in court on Tuesday.
Erasing history is such fun. If we’re going to start destroying works of art and literature from the past to protect people from being offended there’s a long list needing created.
Well OK then…you destroyed public property and you were charged. Now nobody will ever learn from it.
Times change. Slavery should no longer be celebrated.
The image depicted dear memories of Calhoun’s days of glory when a slave owner could rape the women, whip the men, sell the children, and lynch the trouble makers. Slave owners became terrible persons from their horrifying behavior, and pretended gentility to cover it. This gentleman should if anything get a raise for improving the facility.
He still destroyed property that was not his own. That is still a crime even if you agree that the scenes should be removed from there.
And while I agree that they should be removed, and that Yale is being insensitive and wrong for not doing so, I disagree with this man for destroying them. To me, it is no different than ISIL or a bunch of Jehovah’s Witnesses destroying archaeological remains because they felt that they needed to destroy something that disagreed with their personal beliefs.
Writing a letter signed by the rest of the staff in the building, requesting its removal, would be a too civil, legal or orderly fashion to make known your concerns. Better to proceed straight to vandalism and destruction of private property. More in keeping with the current methods of expressing dislike for something. Maybe he should have attacked the person in charge of cleaning it periodically, just to vent outrage that someone took money for perpetuating the insult.