Courtesy of Association of Black Students

The Association of Black Students (ABS) published a list of grievances and demands for WashU’s administration over winter break in a series of Instagram posts titled “Enough is Enough.” 

The group criticized the administration’s response to a number of events in recent years that have affected students of color. Their criticisms included the University’s usage of bones from the Terry collection in anthropology courses, the University’s response to the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action, issues concerning two separate underpass painting incidents and removal, and removal of Hamsini’s communal housing space.

“WashU has shown it does not care for Black and Brown Students on Campus,” reads the post. “We Want to BE Heard!”

Taylor Robinson, the president of ABS and a junior at the University, said that frustration had been building among ABS members over the University’s handling of the events outlined in the post and a lack of responsiveness to the club’s concerns.

“We were just fed up,” Robinson said. “We felt like nobody was taking the time to really listen to us.”

Paul Scott, an ABS Co-Chair of Political Affairs and junior at the University, said that ABS felt like the University did not give enough attention to the incidents that they outlined.

“As a whole, it seems like there’s been a lack of recognition given to a lot of these incidents,” Scott said.

Scott also mentioned being surprised when learning that many Black students, faculty members, and alumni were unaware of the issues brought up in the post.

“We hear a lot of ‘Oh, wow, I had no idea,’” Scott said. “We feel that if [students] are made aware of the issues, they’ll certainly be in support of the administration rectifying them.”

Scott and Robinson both noted that the post had been months in the making, and that they felt it could be a wakeup call for the administration to be more responsive to ABS and act more quickly when future issues arise.

“We felt that [administrators] weren’t going to respond unless we put them on blast,” Robinson said. “When an institution’s reputation is at stake, [administrators] gotta say something.”

Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Mark Kamimura-Jiménez declined, on behalf of himself and of Dean of Students Rob Wild, Student Life’s request for comment.

According to Robinson, ABS asked to meet with administrators over a number of grievances and requests, some of which were outlined in the Instagram post. 

One slide expressed frustration over the University’s response to the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action, which ABS believes is inadequate to maintain “Black and Brown students’ presence on campus.”

“There’s no retention plan,” Robinson said. “Their job is just to get us here — honestly, for numbers’ sake — and just hope that we have the best experience possible.”

Scott said that ABS had attempted to set up a meeting with Chancellor Andrew Martin’s office seven months in advance of the Supreme Court decision. After the decision, Scott said it took several more months until they were able to meet with and voice their concerns to the administration.

“I wouldn’t say that we are necessarily satisfied with the current position,” Scott said. “But I don’t know that anyone is.”

Scott added that the post “revamped” the 1968 Black Manifesto, which in part demanded an increase in the percentage of Black students at the University, still one of ABS’s goals. In 2023, 7.2% of students at the University were Black. In 1968, that figure was just 1.8%. 12% of the undergraduate Class of 2027 is Black.

Another issue raised in the post was the University’s treatment of Hamsini, a Living Learning Community (LLC) for students interested in “exploring matters related to the African diaspora.” Scott said that issues with the Hamsini house infrastructure were ignored by the University.

“[The house] was neglected during COVID,” Scott said. “Heat was never really fixed in the first couple of months, the kitchen wasn’t set up for the first month, [and] there was mold in the showers.”

Scott said that the University raised the minimum requirement for the number of people living in the house, adding administrative barriers to keeping the LLC afloat and causing the house to be empty for the 2023-2024 school year.

“No one’s currently occupying the house,” said Scott. “We’re in the recruiting stage, but our stuff is still on the walls and books on the bookshelves.”

Another slide of the Instagram post included a condemnation of the University’s handling of an incident in which white supremacist propaganda was spray-painted over a Black history mural on the Underpass between the Danforth Campus and the South 40.

“We demanded Admin to bring the artist back to [re]paint,” Robinson said. “Nothing was done.”

Via email correspondence after speaking to Student Life, Robinson wrote that she was informed that the artist was compensated, but restated that the request to bring the artist back to campus to repaint was never fulfilled.

Other slides of the post expressed frustration at the University’s lack of action on recent controversies surrounding professors Philip Dybvig, who was accused of sexual harassment by seven students, and Seth Crosby, who made a post on X, formerly Twitter, referring to the recent Israel-Hamas war as a “much-needed cleansing.”

Although not directly related to Black student experiences, the post stated that ABS wanted to “ensure that all marginalized students feel safe, heard, and appreciated on campus.”

Of particular importance, according to Scott, is the University’s usage of bones from the Terry collection in its courses. Bones in the collection were likely collected without the consent of deceased individuals or their families, many of whom were Black.

“That bombshell was dropped in 2022,” Scott said. “We have issues that have lasted years that we felt were never addressed.”

Robinson said that she hopes the administration reaches out to ABS in light of the post. 

“I really hope that [the administration] takes our post seriously,” Robinson said. “I hope that they set aside enough time for us to go in depth about our concerns, and after that, take action.”

Scott said that he hopes the post increases communication between the University, ABS, and the student body and noted that the lack thereof hinders the administration’s relationship with students of color.

“This lack of transparency adds to the feeling that individuals in administration in relevant positions aren’t hearing the voices of students of color or understanding how deeply they’re affected by these issues,” Scott said.

Scott added that he plans to meet with the administration going forward to discuss working with ABS to address issues like those in the post.

“The statement is not nearly all of the story,” Scott said. “We’re happy to bring these issues to light and more than willing to work with different people in administration to deal with these issues.”

Robinson said that she hopes students read the entirety of the “Enough is Enough” post and take it sincerely.

“Don’t read it as if we’re coming off as combative,” Robinson said. “Read it as a group of people that are fed up and demanding to just be heard.”

She finished by recommending that students research the contents of the post on their own, and be an advocate for the Black community on campus. 

“I want people to take it upon themselves to actually help us fight and demand change,” Robinson said.