While “it’s okay to be white” seems like a harmless message, one student had his academic career upended after posting flyers with that phrase on them.
However, police say his expulsion had nothing to do with the signs.
The flyers were posted on the outside of an Oklahoma City University School of Law building late Halloween night.
There’s nothing seemingly offensive about the simple message. Printed on plain white paper in black letters, the small posters contain only the words “IT’S OKAY TO BE WHITE,” with no other details.
Despite the harmless message, officials were quick to investigate.
“The reason you look into those types of things is you want to make sure the individual is not a threat to other students,” OCU Police Director Bill Citty told The Oklahoman.
“You have to look into those issues in this date and time. People worry, students worry, staff worry, parents worry. You have to make sure.”
The male student was identified and the Oklahoma City Police Department was contacted by campus police to interrogate him.
Although they found no evidence of a crime, the student was expelled after it was discovered that he was on suspension from the law school when he posted the flyers. His very presence on school property was not allowed, leading to his dismissal.
“I said that originally when this happened is that we have to find out what that person’s intent was,” Citty said.
“There’s enough things to look at where we wanted to make sure that he didn’t have any other intentions besides putting posters up on the school.”
The Anti-Defamation League, infamous for declaring the “OK” hand symbol a “hate symbol,” has linked the innocent-sounding phrase “It’s Okay To Be White” to white supremacists.
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Originally, the flyers were dreamed up on internet forums and intended to be part of a trolling campaign.
There was likely no malicious intent behind them other than the hope that they would provoke outbursts from liberals and college leftists, making for hilarious and hypocritical displays.
“Whether the original trollers were white supremacist or not,” the ADL says on its website, “actual white supremacists quickly began to promote the campaign — often adding Internet links to white supremacist websites to the fliers or combining the phrase with white supremacist language or imagery.”
Police have not announced whether the student in question was tied with any white supremacist groups, but confirmed he was not a threat to campus safety.
This harmless prank may have angered those on the left — but it also seemingly cost a student his academic career.
Unless he finds another way to finish school, his dreams of working in law are likely gone.
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