> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • Student-Success Resource Center
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
Campus Speech
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Texas State U. President Condemns Anti-Whiteness Student Op-Ed as ‘Racist’

By  Liam Adams
November 30, 2017
At Texas State U., a student writer’s column criticizing whiteness was published shortly after the appearance of white-nationalist fliers around the campus.
Texas State U.
At Texas State U., a student writer’s column criticizing whiteness was published shortly after the appearance of white-nationalist fliers around the campus.

An opinion column on race written for Texas State University’s student newspaper has drawn heavy criticism, including from Denise Trauth, the university’s president, who called it racist, reports a local TV news station.

The opinion column, titled “Your DNA Is an Abomination,” was written by Rudy Martinez for the University Star, and was meant to encourage conversation about white privilege, the author said. “Through a constant, ideological struggle in which we aim to deconstruct ‘whiteness’ and everything attached to it, we will win,” Mr. Martinez wrote. White people can start to define themselves “as something other than the oppressor.”

We're sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.

Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

At Texas State U., a student writer’s column criticizing whiteness was published shortly after the appearance of white-nationalist fliers around the campus.
Texas State U.
At Texas State U., a student writer’s column criticizing whiteness was published shortly after the appearance of white-nationalist fliers around the campus.

An opinion column on race written for Texas State University’s student newspaper has drawn heavy criticism, including from Denise Trauth, the university’s president, who called it racist, reports a local TV news station.

The opinion column, titled “Your DNA Is an Abomination,” was written by Rudy Martinez for the University Star, and was meant to encourage conversation about white privilege, the author said. “Through a constant, ideological struggle in which we aim to deconstruct ‘whiteness’ and everything attached to it, we will win,” Mr. Martinez wrote. White people can start to define themselves “as something other than the oppressor.”

It was Mr. Martinez’s extreme statements, rather than his social analysis, that seemed to provoke the condemnations. “I hate you [white people] because you shouldn’t exist,” he wrote. Mr. Martinez also said he had met only about a dozen white people whom he considered “decent.” He also wrote: “Ontologically speaking, white death will mean liberation for all.”

Ms. Trauth said the “column’s central theme was abhorrent.” Connor Clegg, the university’s student-body president, said on Facebook, “This poor excuse for journalism is no accurate representation of this university.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Although Mr. Martinez has received heavy criticism, he said in an interview with The College Fix that the article had “accomplished its goal: starting a conversation and outing racists.”

The debate over Mr. Martinez’s column has taken place against a backdrop of other racial tension at Texas State in recent months. On October 19, racist fliers appeared around the campus with sayings like “A state absent its duty is illegitimate,” depicting Jews, Muslims, and Communists as vultures on the U.S. Capitol building. Many posters had “blood and soil” written on them, a common phrase in Nazi propaganda. A week later a banner was put up at the university’s library saying “America is a white nation.”

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

  • Racist Incidents Plague U. of Michigan, Angering Students and Testing Leaders
  • When Racism Reappears, How Can a Campus Show It Has Made Any Gains?
  • White Like You: The Challenge of Getting White Students to Grapple With Racial Identity
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Accessibility Statement
    Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin