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American University Offers Protection to First Black Female Student President After Neo Nazi Starts Online Harassment Campaign

Bananas in nooses were hung around campus after Taylor Dumpson's election.

A student safety advisory and special protections have been offered on American University's campus after the first female Black student president was subjected to online harassment from a white supremacist.

Taylor Dumpson — a member of infamous Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha — recently assumed her duties as student body president. However, on May 1, the school was violated by hanging nooses on bananas with the letters "AKA" written on them. 

According to The Root, an underground harassment campaign against Dumpson was started by Andrew Anglin, a neo-Nazi. Anglin also founded The Daily Stormer, a website that preaches anti-Semitism, homophobia, sexism and racism.

Since Dumpson's election, The Daily Stormer has posted racist propaganda against her, AKA and other students at the university. On May 4, Anglin posted pictures and video of Dumpson, links to her Facebook account and American University’s Twitter address. In the post, he encouraged others to “send her some words of support” and  “let her know you fully support her struggle against bananas.”

After seeing the post, American University provided special security for Dumpson. This inspired a new post on The Daily Stormer called “N****r Agitator Gets Police Bodyguards Because of Daily Stormer.”

Although she's been targeted by hateful acts, Dumpson sent a letter to her peers encouraging them to unite as a community. 

"As the first Black woman AUSG president, I implore all of us to unite in solidarity with those impacted by this situation and we must remember that 'if there is no struggle, there is no progress' – Frederick Douglass," Dumpson said in the letter, reported by ABC News. "We must use this time to reflect on what we value as a community and we must show those in the community that bigotry, hate and racism cannot and will not be tolerated."

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