Tennessee State University: Group with MAGA hats, ‘inflammatory’ signs removed from HBCU
The Tennessean

A group wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and carrying signs with “inflammatory” messages was removed from the campus of Tennessee State University, a historically Black, public school in Nashville.

The group appeared on campus around 3 p.m. on Sep. 23, according to a Facebook post from the Nashville chapter of the NAACP. The group was called Fearless Debates and carried signs that read “DEI should be illegal” and “deport all illegals now,” according to the post.

“They attempted to draw students into conversations centered on these messages, which were framed as debate but functioned as provocation,” the post read.

A statement posted to TSU’s Facebook page said the group was unaffiliated with the university and not authorized to be there. Campus police and staff responded, and the group was escorted off the grounds without issue.

“At all times, TSU students conducted themselves in a professional and respectful manner,” the TSU statement read. “The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff remain our highest priority. TSU will continue to uphold university policies and ensure that campus remains a safe, welcoming and orderly environment for all members of our community.”

Social media accounts that appear to belong to the group state it is inspired by Charlie Kirk. The Turning Point USA founder was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

Posts by the group to social media appear to show TSU students shouting at its members, filming them and following along as campus police escorted them off campus. Videos also showed people taking signs from the group and flipping them off. One video zoomed in on a student holding a screwdriver. The group also posted a video of them leaving campus by car as security officers escorted them. People inside the car could be heard saying students were hitting the car. At one point, the shot panned to a drink cup that was thrown onto the roof.

TSU President Dwayne Tucker told The Tennessean an investigation is underway into how the group gained access to campus. He said he plans to host meetings with students in the days to come to discuss what happened.

NAACP Nashville said it was “infuriated and alarmed” that groups like the one that visited TSU are targeting historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, with “rhetoric that echoes a long history of exclusion, racism, and systemic oppression.” The chapter urged other HBCUs, NAACP partners and Black leaders to be vigilant and prepared for more activity by the group and others like them.