Stanford President Condemns Student’s Racist Posts

Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne said in an email to students that the university is actively working to ensure the safety of the community following a series of racist social media posts made by a student over the weekend.

In one of the posts uploaded to his Instagram Story, Chaze Vinci, a junior at Stanford, told his followers to "Spot the Difference," posting a picture of two Black students alongside a racist caricature, a picture of a gorilla and a song by Kanye West titled "New Slaves." He also posted an edited image depicting one of the Black students being beheaded, as well as a pie chart highlighting the racial demographics of Stanford, with the population of Black and African American student circled and the statement, "It's time the majority started running things, don't you think?"

He posted many of the same images on his Twitter account and also tweeted a picture of a Stanford professor's face marked out in red ink next to a guillotine. Several of the images include biblical references to slavery.

"There have understandably been many expressions of shock and dismay at these posts," Tessier-Lavigne. "I, too, found the posts and the images accompanying them outrageous and abhorrent."

Over 2,500 students have signed a petition started by Black students at Stanford, calling on the university to hold Vinci accountable.

"He disrupts the learning environment and threatens Stanford values," the petition says. "How can Stanford promote a safe and diverse space for African American and minority students and still allow Chaze Vinci to walk on campus?"

Though Tessier-Lavigne said the university was "working on several fronts to address what has occurred," his email didn't include specifics. A spokesperson for the university hasn't provided Inside Higher Ed with further clarification on what those actions are.

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