Dia de los Muertos Altar Signage (11/02/22 and 11/04/22)
Dia de los Muertos Altar Signage (11/02/22 and 11/04/22)
What happened:
Two handwritten notes were left on a Dia de los Muertos altar in an undergraduate residence hall. The first note appeared on November 2, stating, “This is pure idolatry. Exodus 32: 4-6.” After that note was removed, a second appeared on November 4 that stated “Still idolatry ok.” Residential student leaders noticed the notes, documented, and then removed them.
This is especially harmful as it was done during Dia de los Muertos, a cultural-religious tradition for many Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and other Latiné communities. Furthermore, any form of religious bias that shows intolerance to certain rituals and practices of others is unacceptable.
What is being done:
Updated as of 11/07/22
A residential student leader submitted a protected identity harm report and Student Affairs staff members have reached out to them and the affected residences.
Residential Education and El Centro Chicano y Latino are working to connect with impacted students and offer support.
While there is no material damage to the altar, we see this as a form of bias that is inconsistent with university values.
What to do:
- Students needing assistance are invited to reach out to these mental health resources and faculty/staff can reach out to the Faculty Staff Help Center.
- Individual students may also reach out to El Centro staff or Office of Religious and Spiritual Life staff for support.
- Self-care equals community care. If you want to learn more about anti-Latiné hate and how you can address it, visit the Stanford Against Hate website.
- If you experience bias or discrimination, please file a Protected Identity Harm report.