Lies We Tell ✔

The Twenty-fourth Dance

    Elise's freak-out the night before didn't remain a mystery for long. Not even for a full twelve hours. The next morning, every student at Brookings University woke up to another email from the university president.

*****

Dear Faculty, Students, and Staff,

I am deeply disappointed by the upsurge of hate crimes that have marked our 2018-19 academic year. As the aftermath of hateful and deadly violence continues to unfold, I want to express my support to all who cherish the values of peace, tolerance, equality, and unity in our nation.

It has been brought to the University's attention that last night, hateful graffiti was discovered painted on the side entrance of the chemistry building. This act was intended to challenge the inclusion of Latino faculty, students, and staff in our community. The University does not condone any such hateful acts. They are antithetical to our commitment to respect one another.

Our responsibility and our best hope for defeating such actions is to work together. We begin with the premise that we all belong at Brookings University, that we are here to learn from and with each other, and that we are a community in which each member is valued.

Our society is marked by deep divisions. It includes individuals and groups who seek to intimidate those with whom they disagree or do not respect. Their goal is to threaten and even diminish our safety, respect for each other, and commitment to learning.

We know that our society's move toward a more perfect Union will include many challenges to respect and inclusion. Our response is and will continue to be an absolute commitment to welcoming students, faculty, and staff whose diverse experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds enable us to challenge the present and contribute to enriching the future.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Pearson

President

*****

"At least nobody was hurt this time," Elise reasoned with a pained sort of smile as we ate our breakfast the next morning in subdued silence.

Instead of joining her upperclassmen friends like she usually would, the RA had sat down with Olivia, Sidika, and me today. Too bad none of us felt like talking. Or even eating. Elise filled the silence by babbling nervously. There were huge bags under her eyes. All the chaos was taking a toll on our RA.

"When I ran into you last night, Amelia, I'd just come from seeing the fresh graffiti on the wall. Whoever did it wrote some absolutely horrible, disgusting things against Latinos." Elise shook her head. "I don't want to think about it anymore. And it was all written in this dark black paint. It'll be a nuisance to get off the walls."

I picked at my pancake, feeling sick to my stomach.

"It's spreading," Sidika managed say, her voice choked with fear. Her eggs were untouched. "I don't think these hate crimes are being done by one person."

"You mean there's a group behind all this?" I asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe the incidents aren't connected at all." Sidika took a small sip of her coffee. She was bare-faced today, face devoid of makeup—and any kind of hope. "Maybe all these racists and homophobes are crawling out of the woodwork, one after another."

"Don't say that," I pleaded. I had a horrible feeling Sidika was right.

As I looked around the dining hall, I saw that we four weren't the only ones who'd been affected by the news of last night's latest incident. It was like there was a giant storm cloud hanging over the room. Everyone looked a bit subdued, and there wasn't as much chatter as usual.