Last week, Seawolves attending a Black History Month event over Zoom to discuss Black athletes with athlete Monica McNutt were interrupted by a Zoom “bomber.” The unnamed individual entered the Zoom meeting during the discussion to spread racist and bigoted content. 

The hour-long virtual event, taking place on Feb. 16,  titled “The Black Student Athlete Experience,” is part of Sonoma State’s Black History Month program, which is sponsored by the Black Faculty and Staff Association. Athlete and journalist Monica McNutt was a guest speaker and encouraged those in attendance to explore what it means to be a Black athlete and share their own personal experiences and perspectives. The link to the meeting was available to the public.

“Prior to the Zoom bomb, the discussion around Black athletes, both student and professional, was quite inspiring and uplifting,” said Dr. Wm. Gregory Sawyer, vice president for Student Affairs at Sonoma State, “Immediately after the Zoom bomb, the speaker asked everyone to ‘breathe,’ to take a ‘breath,’ and then the intended presentation and conversation continued.” 

Sawyer added, “I believe that all 56 people on the call [were] determined not to let this racist act steal our collective joy.”

Two hours after the Zoom event concluded, SSU sent an email out to students and faculty, making them aware of the hateful incident and condemning its intent. “While we will refrain from sharing details of what occurred, because we refuse to provide these cowardly bigoted individuals the platform they seek, we do want to acknowledge the harm done to our Black community members and others who were present,” the email to the campus community read, “Marginalized communities are too often forced to bear such hatred and moments like this wound deeply.”

Chief of Staff to the President & Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Diversity, Dr. Jerlena Griffin-Desta, believes the incident is a result of perpetuated racism within the nation as a whole.

“The incident was very disturbing to those in attendance…such incidents have no place at SSU or anywhere else. I am extremely saddened and disappointed, but [the incident is] not that surprising given the level of acceptance and permissability of racist acts and other forms of expressions that persist in this country, whether it be Black people in general, Asians, or undocumented peoples,” Griffin-Desta said, “We are all targeted, it seems.”

This being said, Griffin-Desta added that she “remains optimistic” and is “heartened by the number of people who have reached out and expressed support to those impacted.”

The SSU Black Faculty and Student Association (BFSA) released a statement on social media, reminding Seawolves that the Black History Month program conducts public events for those who, “have pure intentions, and are there strictly for the sake of supporting our campus community, instead of infringing upon our safety.”

The SSU BFSA also commended McNutt, stating, “A very special thank-you to our guest speaker, Monica McNutt, for her exceptional professionalism and resilience despite such an awful expression of hate. We deeply appreciate your time and inspiring words shared, and would love to reconnect with you soon.”

SSU currently has the University Police Department, the Information Technology Department, and the Division of Student Affairs investigating the incident and working to prevent future disturbances. The university encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to report it to the campus police immediately. 

Additionally, students seeking support can receive it through CAPS, Sonoma State’s Counseling and Psychological Services, and staff can receive support through the Employee Assistance Program, LifeMatters by Empathia. 

Julia Gonzalez, assistant vice president for strategic communications, when asked for comment, said that she would like to emphasize one particular phrase from the email: “As Seawolves, an attack on one of us is an attack on us all.”

With that sentiment, Seawolves are reminded not to allow hateful incidents to sow division amongst themselves, and to practice unity. 

“This one act of hatred and bigotry shall not and will not steal the joy, honor, and praise of recognizing the accomplishment of those who embody and have created the essence of Black History in America,” Sawyer said. “The incident was disturbing, I believe, to everyone in attendance. There is absolutely NO place at SSU, the state of California or the nation for this type racist and bigoted behavior towards any group. This type of behavior runs counter to our Seawolf values and our commitment to a diverse, equitable and inclusive campus. We must rebuke these acts of intolerance.”