At the beginning of the spring semester students and faculty on San Diego Mesa College campus were welcomed by flyers filled with hate.
The white supremacist group Patriot Front posted several posters around Mesa campus that contained the message that America was conquered and will be maintained by “resurrection through insurrection”. This group was founded in Austin, Texas by a 19-year-old named Thomas Ryan.
The Anti-Defamation League stated,“Patriot Front is a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it solely to them.”
Faculty quickly removed all these posters throughout the day. One of those Faculty member was Alessandra Moctezuma a professor of fine art, and the director of the art gallery.
When Moctezuma saw the first flyer posted on the banner for the exhibit for black history month she said “the poster had a very hateful image talking about america being conquered.” Shortly after seeing the message she began to take them all down.
Most students were unaware of this occurrence due to the swift actions of faculty on Campus. Moctezuma praise that “[A.] a lot of us removed them right away and [B.] we are bombarded by so many visuals everyday so I doubt anyone noticed them right away. Quite ironic right.”
In any case this group failed its mission to recruit on mesa’s campus. Mesa has high standards for equality which is why in the article “Mesa College Asserts its Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Face of Flyers Posted on Campus” President Dr. Pamela T. Luster assert “San Diego Mesa College seeks to build a culture of diverse, equitable and inclusive practices that create an enriched environment for our students, staff, faculty and the broader community.”
