Wisconsin College Students Find Noose, Racist Threats as Black History Month Begins

A noose and two written threats directed at African-American students are triggering concern and an investigation on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at the beginning of Black History Month.

A black female student found a noose made of rubber bands in a common area in her dormitory on the campus in Kenosha on Wednesday and later received a threatening note, WISN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, reported today.

After the initial threatening note and noose were discovered, “flyers were found listing several black students by name, (saying) that they would die in two days,” radio station WTAQ reported.

Dave Buchanan, the university’s director of public information, did not immediately return calls seeking comment, and other administrators also didn’t return calls from Hatewatch.

“Parkside will not tolerate any kind of bias, any kind of hate,” interim Dean of Students Cindy Graham told WISN. “What we’re looking for in an academic community is that ability to have dialogue about differences.”

A mother of one of the students, who asked not to be identified, said her daughter and other students identified by name in the hate letters “are terrified.”

Student Ken Woods told WISN, “It’s scary, but at the same time, the anger – we’re just trying to keep everybody calm right now.”