An incident of anti-Black racism on social media, in the form of racial profiling of Black and African descent men, has caused harm to members of the university community – specifically those who self-identify as Black and of African descent.   

The post was made anonymously on the Facebook group “MUN Students Come Together” and has subsequently been deleted.  

This Facebook group is not managed or endorsed by Memorial University, yet we recognize that students and other members of our community may not be aware of this.

To address the confusion, the university reached out to the Facebook page administrators and requested that they remove Memorial University’s licensed trademark (logo) from their page and identify that the account has never been and is not an official Memorial University channel.  

Those updates have been made and the university appreciates their prompt response. 

Building community and belonging

Memorial University is sending a clear message to the Black and African descent members of our community, and to the wider community:  we recognize anti-Black racist behaviour, on social media or in person, causes real harm.

We also recognize that there is a documented history of anti-Black racism on university campuses across Canada that has caused irreparable harm and long-lasting consequences to Black and African descent people.  

Memorial University is home to many students, staff and faculty from around the world.  We strive to build and maintain a welcoming community where people feel a sense of belonging within their uniquely diverse identities.

We strongly denounce anti-Black racism and all forms of racism, violence and discrimination.