Confederate Flags Covered With Cotton Found At American University

WASHINGTON, DC — Ten Confederate flag fliers with cotton stalks taped to them were found hanging in buildings at American University Tuesday night, the same night as a presentation about the new anti-racist center on campus was held, according to the online campus newspaper.

The fliers were found in three buildings on campus—the student center Mary Graydon Center, the Battelle Tompkins Kogod building and McKinley, the home of the School of Communications. The signs had the phrases “Huzzah for Dixie” and “I wish I was in the Land of Cotton.” The back of the fliers had a logo that said "D.C. Counter Resistance."

“We must stand together strongly against this act, which was intended to frighten and divide our community,” American University's president Sylvia M. Burwell said in a statement.

The fliers were found the same night as a presentation by Ibram X. Kendi, a new professor who founded the Antiracist Research and Policy Center on the campus. Kendi was hosting a presentation on his plans for the new center.

“We are well aware this act occurred the same evening Dr. Ibram Kendi presented ‘A Vision for Equality,’ an introduction to the Antiracist Research and Policy Center,” Interim Vice President of Campus Life Fanta Aw said in a statement. “AU is committed to the vision of the Center and Dr. Kendi's work and we will not be deterred by this cowardly attempt at intimidation.”

See Related:

• American University Student Body President Receives Online Threats
  
• Bananas Hung from Nooses at American University in DC: Report

Kendi posted about the incident on Twitter Wednesday morning, calling the posters the "latest attempt on this campus to frighten our community:"

The anti-racist center's goal is to bring faculty and students together to work on racial inequities around the world, The Eagle reports. The center came shortly after multiple bananas were found hanging with nooses in three places on the campus.

American University's Public Safety released a video of a person suspected of hanging the fliers on campus:

Police describe the suspect as a white male, about 40 years old and 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a pink shirt, camouflage pants, off-white gloves and an orange hard hat.

The school community was invited to attend a town hall meeting to address the fliers at Kay Spiritual Center Wednesday afternoon.

"The incident stresses the importance of our anti-racist center and our work to build a more inclusive AU," Burwell said at the town hall.

Phillip Morse, the head of AU Public Safety, told students officers worked through the night collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.

Individuals with information about this incident are urged to contact the American University Department of Public Safety at (202)885-2527 or submit a tip online.

Photos: Michael T. Barry Jr./Twitter, used with permission