Students cover hateful speech on the rock
It originally read ‘kill em all’ and ‘Fuck America’
With hands that had been used for voting in an incredibly historic election the day before, members of LSA Student Government, Hillel, Trotter House and a few passersby painted the rock. It was not out of want, but out of necessity, responsibility and love as earlier today unknown people covered the rock in terrible rhetoric.
The rock had an elephant on one side with the words “kill em all” and on the other side pictured a donkey and the words “Fuck America.”
These students, however, replaced these with messages of love and acceptance.
I personally was there and I don’t say that to ask for a pat on the back. I say it for this: After all the hate was covered in love, we stood back together to see what we’d done. We stood back as people of diverse identities and thought about what the future means. It was quiet because we don’t quite know. We will find out and we will find out together and we will find out together in love and solidarity.
We had used our hands for voting yesterday and we used our hands to spread love today. We will use our hands to spread love tomorrow and we will use our hands to fight for what is right. We will use our hands for love.