Democratic education activist likens New College of Florida’s tree mascot to ‘angry, threatening brown individual’By Selim Algar
June 21, 2023
A Florida education activist had heads scratching this week after likening a college’s new mascot — an anthropomorphized tree — to an “angry, threatening brown individual.”
Robin Williams, a teacher and president of a Democratic Public Education Caucus of Manasota, ripped the New College of Florida’s “Mighty Banyan” logo as racist in an op-ed for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
The image depicts a humanized Banyan tree flexing its muscular arms while wearing a tenacious expression.
Williams said the imagery would naturally set off alarm bells for “anyone with a cursory knowledge of stereotypes.”
The arboreal offense, she argued, “depicts a tree that has been anthropomorphized to closely resemble an angry, threatening brown individual.”
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Williams took particular aim at conservative commentator Chris Rufo, who was named to the school’s board.
She argued that the logo was “rammed through” by the outspoken “culture warrior” and Interim President Richard Corcoran over the objections of some in the school community.
Rufo lampooned Williams’ assertions in a Tuesday Twitter post.
“Advice for white libs: if you see a tree and immediately think ‘looks like a scary minority to me,’ you might be the racist,” he wrote.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/06/21/dem-education-activist-likens-new-college-of-floridas-tree-mascot-as-racist/
