University Of St. Thomas Students Host 'White Out' Sit-In

SAINT PAUL, MN — Students at the University of St. Thomas hosted a "white out" sit-in Thursday after a racist message was found on a student's dorm room door last week.

Students gathered in the atrium of the Anderson Student Center wearing white, representing "the current demographic at the University of St. Thomas."

Among those participating in the protest was Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. Kevyn Perkin, the victim of last week's racial incident, was also in attendance, KARE 11 reported.

The university said it will cancel classes next week for a campus-wide meeting to discuss the racial incident.

In a letter to the school, St. Thomas president Julie Sullivan said the event will be "a visible kickoff to our entire university’s commitment to action and is a critical step in boldly addressing systemic racism and hate in our community."

Sullivan said she is "ashamed and disgusted and share the pain and anger that many students, faculty and staff are feeling right now."

She also released an action plan to combat racism on campus, which can be read here.

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