Agitators disrupt virtual event
An investigation is underway after the first two sessions of a virtual College Success event with emcee, writer and vocalist Aja Black were interrupted by
An investigation is underway after the first two sessions of a virtual College Success event with emcee, writer and vocalist Aja Black were interrupted by racial slurs, both spoken and sent in the chat. The event’s third session was canceled.
An email from the Offices of the Presidents on Nov. 2 indicated that recordings of the sessions were being reviewed, and the incident was reported to the police. It is unclear whether these were the actions of CSB/SJU students or of outside “Zoom bombers.”
“The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University will not tolerate such behavior, and there is absolutely no space for these hateful actions in our community. We are incredibly angry and sad that this has happened [and] are committed to getting to full understanding and to holding responsible parties accountable,” the email said.
Black was leading the 4:30 p.m. session of her “Writing with Feeling” workshop when the first interruptions took place. Other students and faculty members did attempt to stop those causing the disturbance, and some interrupters were eventually removed from the Zoom session.
In the 7:30 p.m. session, more racial slurs were sent in the chat. After the session, College Success leaders met with Black and decided to call off the 9:00 p.m. session.
Students had to sign up to receive the Zoom link for the workshop before the event using CSB/SJU’s Forms Manager. A waiting room was also in place for the meeting host to admit each of the session’s approximately 300 participants.
The workshop is part of the Student Story Assignment which all participants in the College Success course complete. Black led both this event and the FYX Story Slam last year. This year’s Story Slam is scheduled for Nov. 18.
The Cultural Affairs Board and the Multicultural Center hosted an event on Wednesday evening to discuss the events that took place during the workshop.
This marks the second campus event canceled after an interruption this year. The McCarthy Lecture with Sen. Tina Smith was interrupted by protestors on Oct. 14.
