Hundreds Protest Against Racism at American U

Hundreds of students at American University held a protest Monday to demand suspensions of white students they believe are involved with recent incidents targeting black women, The Washington Post reported. In one incident, a black female student says, someone threw a banana at her. In another, someone left a rotten banana outside the dormitory room of another black female student. Those protesting also say there have been other racial incidents, but those involving bananas prompted the protest, with many carrying signs saying "Racism at AU Is Bananas."

American University President Cornelius M. Kerwin released a statement in which he called the banana incident and another “explicit racist incident” in a residence hall “unacceptable student behavior … that left our African-American students and others shaken, upset and even feeling unsafe.” The incident involving the thrown banana has been investigated and those responsible “have been held accountable through the student conduct process,” the statement said.