Framingham State University in Massachusetts: College ditches Cinco de Mayo celebration because of 1 student complaint
A student at Framingham State University in Massachusetts filed a report to the Bias Incident Response Team this spring, claiming the campus had overtly disrespected Latino and Mexican Culture.
What was so offensive? For starters, the cafeteria decided to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and even put up decorations. Just a few weeks earlier, the Student Union Activities Board had thrown a similarly themed birthday party for the school mascot, Sam the Ram.
“The massive flyer had Sam in a sumbrero [sic] with Feliz Cumpleanos on it,” the student wrote in a bias report reviewed exclusively by Heat Street. “The event advertised a burrito bar and salsa lessons for some reason and if this were an isolated event I wouldnt [sic] think twice about it. I feel as though whenever an event like this is taking place we go straight to stereotypes and it is EXTREMELY offensive! If that were not enough on Cinco de Mayo the dining services team decides than in honor of a glorious victory against french colonizers in Mexico we should decorate the dinning [sic] commons. The decorations included blow up chili peppers, pancho decorations, donkey piñatas and other overtly racist and clearly ignorant decorations.”
Upon receiving the complaint on the afternoon of Cinco de Mayo, Framingham’s chief diversity officer, Sean Huddleston, immediately forwarded it to colleagues, writing, “Well. . . . we almost made it!”
Within half an hour, Huddleston had reached out to the director of dining services, forwarding the complaint. The cafeteria immediately took down the decorations, apologizing and offering to meet with the student who complained about “how we might celebrate and/or commemorate events such as this while being respectful to the particular ethnicity.”
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