Southwest Asian and North African Club

Muslim Student Association

Iranian Student Cultural Organization
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

April 11th, 2018

To whom it may concern,

In response to the blatant instance of anti-Black racism perpetrated by members of the Lambda Chi Alpha
fraternity, we students of the clubs Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA), Muslim Student
Association (MSA), and Iranian Student Cultural Organization (ISCO) are drafting this letter to express
support and solidarity for all Black students on the Cal Poly campus. The crime perpetrated by the
members of the fraternity is egregious and reflective of the greater atmosphere of racism and white
supremacy at Cal Poly. SWANA, MSA, and ISCO stand firmly against the act of hate from the Lambda
Chi Alpha fraternity and the Cal Poly administration’s absence of reaction.
The behavior of the students in the photos was clearly aimed at Black and Latinx communities.
There is no excuse for it. The students in both photos were aware of the violence they were evoking.
Furthermore, the fact that the Lambda Chi Alpha leadership believed they could lie about the intentions
behind the transgression illuminates how acquiescent administration has been with these problems in the
past. The students in the photos must be reprimanded and dealt with accordingly.
Black students make up less than 1% of the Cal Poly population. Any perpetuation of racist
stereotypes is an act of violence against a minority that makes up less than 200 students at a university of
over 20,000. It is the responsibility of administration to ensure that the Cal Poly campus is a place where
every person can succeed academically and socially without fear of harm from the institution or other
students. Administration has routinely failed in this cause, notably because of the minimal amount of
effort it has exerted in proactively protecting students of color, and its lack of seeking justice for those
harmed in the past. We must be vigilant in combating any instance of white supremacy on our campus.
SWANA, MSA, and ISCO are calling on the administration of Cal Poly to acknowledge the pain
felt by Black students, and work to seek justice of those involved including the student in blackface, the
students dressed in “gangster”-attire, and the fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha as a whole. For justice to be
sought, there must be reprimandation of every party involved in the crime. We are also calling on
administration to recognize the demands set forth by the Black Student Union. Time and time again, the
administration iterates the lie that it cares about its students of color, especially after an act of violence
targeting these communities. The lies are empty words followed up by no action. Today, we are stating
that we will not accept the empty words any longer.
 We, the students of SWANA, MSA, and ISCO understand the role we hold in combating
anti-Black racism within our own communities. Although this is a constant struggle that we uphold, it
does not diminish the violence the institution imposes on Black students in the form of white supremacy
and ignorance.
The undersigned organizations pledge to work with the Black Student Union as well as all Black
students and faculty in dismantling the structures of white supremacy on the Cal Poly campus. The
struggles for our freedom to an education are intertwined, and to demand that all students of color can
exist comfortably on the Cal Poly campus means that we react when one of our communities is affected.
The students of SWANA, MSA, and ISCO await condemnation and punishment for the actions of the
members of Lambda Chi Alpha from the Cal Poly administration.

In Solidarity,

Southwest Asian and North African Club

Muslim Student Association
Iranian Student Cultural Organization