Last week, a noose was found hanging from a tree in front of the student union at Duke University. Campus officials and students have rallied to condemn the act, and a student has since admitted to hanging the noose, according to officials.

In the aftermath, ACLU-NC Executive Director Jennifer Rudinger, a Duke alumna, wrote the following letter to the editor to the Duke Chronicle:

"As a 1991 graduate of Duke University, I read with profound sadness the reports of recent racial tensions on campus that culminated with the discovery of a noose hanging in front of the Bryan Center in the wee hours of April 1. The fact that some students of color have expressed that they feel unwelcome and unsafe needs to be taken very seriously. As difficult and painful as it can be for the dominant culture to look critically at our own reflection in the mirror, recognition of the microaggressions, biases, denial and in some cases, overt hate that has been exposed here is something that needs to happen not only at Duke but throughout the nation.

"Free speech isn’t really free—there is a cost. Words and symbols—such as a noose—cause real harm in the form of pain, humiliation, degradation, intimidation, fear and mistrust. But I took great heart this week to see the outpouring of fervent opposition to these messages of hate on campus. The answer to hate speech is for those who believe in equality and equity to drown out those messages of hate with messages of hope. The protest in front of Duke Chapel on Wednesday was a vital first step on the road to racial equity, but much more needs to be done. We must not only speak, we must act. Specific suggestions have been offered by students to eliminate bias, and it is incumbent on all of us in the Duke community to make the internal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural changes that need to occur. Only then will Duke become the truly great institution that those of us who love it dearly know it can be."

Jennifer Rudinger

T’91

Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina

Read more about the ACLU-NC's racial justice work here.