On the morning of Monday, Nov. 6 stickers with the phrase, “IT’S OK TO BE WHITE” were plastered on the northern side of El Camino’s campus by three unidentified male suspects. The Union asked EC students their thoughts on the phrase and what they interpret it to represent.
Marissa Hernandez, 20, biochemistry major: “I think it’s alright. I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s kind of reassuring for those people who are considered white and are being pictured as hostile people and not all of them are like that just based on a few individuals.”
Mylene Silver, 17, sociology major: “I personally saw it and the first thing that came to mind is white supremacy so just to see someone took the time to display a negative message that has negative undertones around campus is really disheartening and saddening especially when El Camino is a school that has primarily minority students. I think its intention was to be primarily negative.”
Benjamin Johnson, 18, music major: “I don’t find it offensive. You could say that you’re white but if it’s not in a disrespectful manner or you’re not trying to promote propaganda.”
Hailey Camino, 18, psychology major: “I don’t really find it offensive to be honest, I feel like you can be proud of what color you are.”
Kayla Jandrokovic, 23, biochemistry major: “I just think that with everything that’s going down nowadays with all the racial violence, we shouldn’t be making it about that. I’m really tired of people in my race making it about them. There (has) been minorities that have been going through a lot more and I don’t think it’s fair.”
Allen Xavier, 18, aerospace engineer major: “It’s fine, they are just expressing what they want to say. (If) it’s not harming anyone, it’s alright. Because they say it’s OK to be white without any kind of negative comments on it, it’s alright to do that.”
Read more about the incident here.