ST. LOUIS — Claims of racism at Washington University in St. Louis have sparked a call to action from Black students. A fraternity and sorority were reportedly suspended, but students said they believe more should be done.
It comes after a disturbance in a dining hall that students say included racial slurs against workers.
"They start going on tables and dancing and jumping and screaming,” said a student who asked not to be identified due to what students call hateful language being used towards those who are speaking out.
Last month, the student was in the Bear's Den, a Wash U dining hall known as BD.
"The volume is kind of getting louder and we hear stumbling and people coming in from both doors and I'm like ‘Oh hell no’ … they're like 'Clear the area. Clear the area.' They're screaming, kind of belligerent," the student said.
The student walked out only to return to see things had escalated.
"Eggs splattered all over the floor. There was spit on the door that we opened," the student said.
The students said they believe pledges for Greek organizations were involved in the incident. The student said one of the workers indicated a pledge allegedly made a racial slur.
“We’re talking about Black workers?” 5 On Your Side asked.
“Yes, Black workers," the student said. "There's a level of hesitancy to speak about it ... because they're in a vulnerable state. They have jobs to maintain.”
"This puts me in the mindset of The Freedom Riders … the regression is here. We’re seeing such an outpour of hate around the world,” said Missouri Rep. LaKeysha Bosley. “This is a very real result that we’re seeing right now of why DEI is so important and educating our scholars and staff and having policies put in place that promote diversity equity and inclusion.”
"It's demoralizing to have to serve someone and a population that you know will make your life harder, make your job harder … that's not in their job description to clean up eggs and spit,” the student said.
The Association of Black Students at Wash U said there are repeated incidents of anti-black, racial violence that have "gone largely unaddressed on our campus."
"We do not share information about any specific incident or investigation involving our students. We would take any allegations of disruptive or harassing behavior very seriously. We are committed to creating a campus environment where all feel welcome and respected, and where every member of our community is treated fairly with due process anytime an incident is reported. We will work directly with our students to address any concerns they may bring to us," a Wash U spokesperson said in a statement.
Friday afternoon students are organizing a rally in the dining hall to support the dining workers.