African-American Studies Professor Finds Racist Flyer For A Fake Class On Defeating 'Black Nationalism'
The director of the University of Montana’s African-American studies program found himself at the center of a racially charged attack on campus, and he says this is not the first time it’s happened.
On Thursday morning, professor Tobin Miller Shearer, walked by a program bulletin board in the Liberal Arts building on campus and immediately noticed a flyer he posted about an upcoming class had been replaced with a racist copy, reported The Missoulian.
Shearer posted a flyer about his spring class, “White Supremacy History/Defeat.” However, the sign he saw on Thursday was an exact replica except the class offering had been replaced with a fake course called “Black Nationalism History/Defeat.”
According to Shearer, the person who made the new flyer copied his exact layout and changed the details of the course from Shearer’s objective to “implement and evaluate a project to dismantle white supremacy in the U.S.” to an objective to “dismantle Black nationalism.”
The false sign also included a group project “aimed at dismantling race-baiting hypocrisy.”
“It’s very disturbing because of the amount of time that was put into making it look real,” Shearer told The Missoulian.
Shearer was also disturbed that his name was replaced by the misspelled name of the former director of the program who has been out of their post for a decade.
“It’s at best someone who knows the history of the program. At worst, it’s another faculty member who knows the history,” Shearer told The Missoulian.
Shearer said this isn’t the first time racist messages have been targeted at the African-American studies program at his school. Last year, Shearer was put on the national “Professor Watchlist” by the conservative group Turning Point USA. The right-winged group accused him of discriminating against conservative students and pushing a “radical agenda.”
Shearer reported the flyer to the University of Montana Police Department.