South Carolina State students protest Lt. Govenor as commencement speaker
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South Carolina State students are protesting the selection of Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Pamela Evette as the Spring commencement speaker. Protests sparked around campus on Tuesday, per a report by News 19, and a Change.org petition to remove Evette as commencement speaker has reached 14,000 signatures as of this writing.
Evette responded to the protests on a video posted to her social media accounts on Tuesday evening.
"While I was at the White House today, I heard about what's happening on the campus of SC State University. Let's be clear: facts trump feelings in the real world. President Trump and conservatives have done more for HBCUs than any administration in history. I must be doing something right because woke mobs are coming after me for being a champion of eliminating radical DEI scams on college campuses. So bring it on."
There was immediate pushback on social media following the release of the video, including from Morehouse College alumnus and CNN contributor Bakari Sellers.
"There is a rich tradition of protests at @Scstatebdogs. I truly hope the students don't allow you [to] pervert that campus' legacy. I hope every graduate walks out."
In a video circulating on social media from a campus sit-in protest in the Donna Administration Building, a South Carolina State student explains why she is against Evette being the commencement speaker.
"This is not a black and white issue…This isn't a political issue. It's not a democratic or Republican party issue. It's not about that. It's a morality issue…We've been here for four or five years. [At] commencement, we should have someone who's going to celebrate us. How can someone who goes against everything that we stand for and believe morality wise, how can that person uplift me or my day of stepping into the real world?"
Related: South Carolina State cancels Pamala Evette's commencement speech
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