‘IT’S OKAY TO BE WHITE’ flyers at CCU spark investigation

A flyer with the words “IT’S OKAY TO BE WHITE” in capital letters was found on the door of the Wall Building on Coastal Carolina University on Monday, according to a Facebook post.

“I’m still shocked that this was posted and CCU has been very quiet about it ever since this surfaced,” said Ian Brooking, a junior at the university.

A post from a Facebook page called Social Justice Research Initiative showed the poster taped to a door.

In a statement, university spokesperson Martha Hunn said that “several pieces of paper bearing the referenced statement were posted at various locations on campus. It appears to be part of a national social media campaign.”

School officials removed the flyers when they were discovered, said Hunn.

Other flyers with the same language on them have been popping up in other schools around the country, according to the Washington Post, which reported that the trend was started by a series of messages in the online chat room 4chan.

The Post reported that the idea was that media coverage would draw attention to the posters.

The words have also sparked a discussion on social media sites such as Twitter, where people have voiced both support and disdain for the phrase.

Jason Kessler, the man who organized the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a protestor was killed, got into the action as well. He posted a poll asking whether it was okay to be white.

Twitter user @mamasharon11 wrote “I would think a white supremacist would be more aggressive. This seems mild for them. And absolutely not racist. It’s okay to be any race. White included right?”

User @sky_park99 wrote “It’s okay to be white, but it’s not okay to think white is the only and best.”

CCU’s Hunn said that school policy prohibits flyers being posted without permission, and that they may only be posted on bulletin boards.

“Once University officials were made aware of the matter, it was turned over to the CCU Department of Public Safety,” Hunn said in an email. “Public Safety is now reviewing film, license tag readers, and a photo of the individual who posted the signs. If investigators are able to identify the individual, the University will determine the appropriate steps to be taken.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 10:44 AM with the headline "‘IT’S OKAY TO BE WHITE’ flyers at CCU spark investigation."