Last Monday, Auburn’s Honors College invited the White Student Union to speak and explain their platform at a screening of a movie about White Supremacists. By doing so, they effectively validated the organization and their abhorrent views.
In an attempt to explain themselves, the Honors College said they planned to invite representatives of the Black Rights Matter movement to a later event, drawing upon a false equivalence between a White Supremacist organization and a movement designed to further the rights of an underserved minority.
The Honor College’s actions can be seen as likening the ideals and philosophy of the White Student Union to black advocacy groups operating on Auburn, thus forwarding a falsehood that the White Student Union has as much a right to form and operate as does the Black Student Union.
Unequivocally, they do not.
The White Student Union is not needed as an equivalent organization to the Black Student Union because the Black Student Union needs no equivalent organization for white people. Only 6.6% of Auburn students are black compared to 92% who are white. This underrepresentation warrants an organization that provides a safe space and a platform for their voice.
The Black Student Union was founded and operates as an organization that represents the interests of black students at Auburn. It provides a safe space for black students to voice concerns relating to the black community at Auburn and works to discourage instances of racism, both institutional and individual.
These goals are reflective of the basic values of Auburn University, as well as basic American values. The Black Student Union works to make sure these goals actualize in the campus community.
The White Student Union is, of course, a hate group, that shares no footing or similarities with the Black Student Union other than in branding. They operate outside the University’s discretion, illegally using Auburn’s symbols to mimic a recognized group.
They preach a separation between white people and other races, blame violent acts on “interracial violence” of black people against white people, and push anti-Semitic conspiracy theories through literature left throughout campus. For these actions and these beliefs, the SPLC has labelled them a hate group.
The President of White Student Union was invited to speak in person at the movie screening, but instead opted to join via Skype, wearing a mask to hide their identity. Along with their bigotry, they are cowards operating under a delusion of significance.
A defense of the White Student Union being allowed to speak at campus events can be made by defending their right to free speech. But there is a difference in allowing them to speak without criminal punishment and inviting them to campus events – an invitation that gives credence to the existence of their views.
Auburn has spent the last year working to further free speech by hosting Critical Conversations, a speaker series that focuses on difficult conversations with speakers of varying political identity and personal views. These speakers are educated on such topics and able to speak with authority on them. The University has poured in resources to allow these conversations to take place.
Giving the White Student Union a platform at a campus event completely undermines this effort. Their views are not educated, but are built on pseudoscience and hate speech and have no root in logic or reason.
This should not be seen as a liberal stance against a conservative group. For starters, the White Student Union is not a conservative group. Further, all Auburn students should be united against white supremacy and anti-Semitism, regardless of political stances.
Auburn University has made efforts to discredit the White Student Union since its outset and has made efforts to increase intellectual conversations about difficult social issues. With one event, the Honors College has undermined this cause.
We hope this mistake won't be repeated.
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