Oberlin College suspended its classes on Monday after a person donning a KKK-style hood and robe was spotted on the Ohio campus near the school’s African Heritage House. The college is encouraging students and faculty to participate in a slate of activities centered around tolerance and solidarity scheduled for Monday.
“We hope today will allow the entire community—students, faculty, and staff—to make a strong statement about the values that we cherish here at Oberlin: inclusion, respect for others, and a strong and abiding faith in the worth of every individual,” a statement on the school’s website read. “Indeed, the strength of Oberlin comes from our belief that diversity and openness enriches us all, and enhances the educational mission at its core.”
Monday’s report of someone in KKK regalia is the latest in a recent spate of what the school described as “hate-related incidents on campus.” Last week, a swastika and other graffiti appeared in Oberlin’s Conservatory of Music. Earlier last month, anti-Semitic, racist and homphobic graffiti was found on the campus, which is located in Oberlin, Ohio.
