Black University of Wisconsin Athletes Call for School to Address Racial Inequalities on Campus

Nigel Hayes and more than 20 other prominent black University of Wisconsin athletes have called for their school to address racial inequalities.

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Complex Original

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Late last month, the University of Wisconsin found itself in the middle of a PR nightmare when a fan showed up at a home football game against Nebraska wearing a President Obama mask and a noose tied around his neck. The school eventually decided to take away the fan's season tickets, but not before it came under fire for initially allowing the fan to remain in the stands at the game after removing the noose.

Fast forward about a week, and there are now more than 20 black Wisconsin student-athletes who feel as though that incident is a sign of the racial inequalities that exist on the school's campus. That group of athletes, which includes many Wisconsin football players and Nigel Hayes, the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year for the Badgers' basketball team, has written a long letter to Chancellor Rebecca Blank requesting a meeting to discuss the inequalities they have seen. The athletes sent out the letter in the form of a tweet on Monday night and asked Blank to help them work towards meaningful actions to resolve their concerns about racism on the Wisconsin campus. Here is the letter the players sent out:

If you're unable to read the letter in the tweet above, here is what it says:

"Many people believe that student-athletes are immune from the racial injustices that affect other students of color on campus. However, our experiences are not shielded by the 'W' we wear on our chest, our experiences are one in the same. We are loved during competition, but then subjected to racial discrimination in our everyday lives too. It is painful that someone in our community would show up to an athletic event in a mask of our sitting president, who happens to look a lot like us, with a noose around his neck. That moment was like a punch in the face to not only student-athletes of color, but also current students, faculty and alumni of color. This incident was yet another blow and reminder that there are people in this community that may not value diverse populations. When we travel and play in other stadiums, fans have told us to get out of their country, or go back to Africa, but it hurts to receive that treatment at home. It does not end at overt racial issues, but it is also seen through microaggressions.

Also echoing the statement were junior cornerback Derrick Tindal:

As well as senior running back Corey Clement:

Wisconsin officials are yet to publicly comment on the letter.

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