Support Corey Menafee
Corey Menafee is a former employee of Yale University who resigned after breaking a dining hall window featuring a racist depiction of slaves picking cotton. His resignation followed advisement that being fired would make it difficult to find employment. All proceeds from this fund will go directly to Mr. Menafee, to assist him and his family in his interim of unemployment.
My name is Bianca Brooks and I'm a junior at Columbia and community outreach chair of Columbia's Intercultural Resource Center. In solidarity, I partnered with Yale black student leaders Akintunde Ahmad and Ivetty Estepana as well as Mr. Menafee's lawyer Patricia Kane to start this fund. I'm the only organizer I know of that has been in consistent contact with Mr. Menafee's lawyer and his family. All proceeds go directly to a trust Patricia Kane has set up for Menafee. Right now, he is trying to acquire a cell phone, a laptop, and Internet in order to communicate with his lawyer and the press. According to Ms. Kane, who is working pro bono, that's what the first of these funds will be used for. Mr. Menafee mentioned that he is also trying to support his family and is grateful for the outpour of support he's received. Thank you for donating and please circulate this fund and sign the petition below created by Yale Law School students calling for Yale to rehire Mr. Menafee and rename Calhoun College.
https://docs.google.com/a/guschristensen.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccxTYMuejwyjq7s3n6QybKyrqNQULo9LfClExOYy3oYCyNlA/viewform
Bianca Brooks
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My name is Bianca Brooks and I'm a junior at Columbia and community outreach chair of Columbia's Intercultural Resource Center. In solidarity, I partnered with Yale black student leaders Akintunde Ahmad and Ivetty Estepana as well as Mr. Menafee's lawyer Patricia Kane to start this fund. I'm the only organizer I know of that has been in consistent contact with Mr. Menafee's lawyer and his family. All proceeds go directly to a trust Patricia Kane has set up for Menafee. Right now, he is trying to acquire a cell phone, a laptop, and Internet in order to communicate with his lawyer and the press. According to Ms. Kane, who is working pro bono, that's what the first of these funds will be used for. Mr. Menafee mentioned that he is also trying to support his family and is grateful for the outpour of support he's received. Thank you for donating and please circulate this fund and sign the petition below created by Yale Law School students calling for Yale to rehire Mr. Menafee and rename Calhoun College.
https://docs.google.com/a/guschristensen.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccxTYMuejwyjq7s3n6QybKyrqNQULo9LfClExOYy3oYCyNlA/viewform
Bianca Brooks
There have been false media reports founded by Yale and circulated by multiple outlets that Yale and Mr. Menafee have reached an agreement for reinstatement. Union representatives have yet to meet with Yale regarding terms for reinstatement. Any news regarding the rehire agreement will come directly from his lawyer Patricia Kane and Mr. Menafee hisself.
Hello Bianca, My name is Jenny Lumet. My mother is the author of the book "The Black Calhouns" . The book is on Amazon if you'd like to peruse. My family was owned by the family of John C Calhoun. They owned us. And we are still here. If you pm me on Fb, with a mailing address for Mr Menafee's lawyer. I will happily purchase Mr. Menafee his laptop. For those who can't grasp that it was real flesh and bone and real human beings... we are still here.
Mr. Menafee is deeply touched (and surprised) by the outpouring of support for him. We are working on getting the criminal charges dismissed and getting Mr. Menafee's job back. He has been learning about food service and likes his colleagues and his work. Great thanks to everyone who has written or donated. As his attorney, I will update you on this site as matters progress. Thank you for caring.
On behalf of dishwashers of the 90's, THANK YOU!!
Bianca Brooks is a friend/student at Columbia University with ties to many students at Yale. I'm a student at Columbia myself and would vouch for her integrity. I am proud of her for creating this fund.
Hello -- just in the interests of time -- this is from theguardian.com: "Bianca Brooks, a student at Columbia University, began the crowdfunding campaign with Yale student Akintunde Ahmad, who personally knows Menafee. Brooks and Ahmad, who know each other through membership in black student organizations at their respective universities, decided to raise funds for Menafee on Monday night. Nearly $2,500 has been raised in 11 hours. The funds will be delivered by Ahmad to Menafee’s family later in the week, Brooks said. Brooks, who will be a junior at Columbia in the fall, was critical of Ivy League schools and their acknowledgement of their place within racist historical institutions. “The window should have been taken down a long time ago. It shouldn’t have taken someone in an emotional outrage to smash it. It should have been removed from sheer morale of the school,” Brooks added." https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jul/12/yale-slavery-stained-glass-window-corey-menafee-job Thank you Bianca Brooks!
Mr. Menafee was told he would be fired and feared it would make getting another job more difficult so he did resign, but believed he would not be prosecuted. The first Yale officers at at the scene told him they would have to give him a ticket - and that's all. A sergeant arrived and made the decision to bring criminal charges. All the "colored only" signs in the South were painted over a long time ago. And the Dixie flag was taken down after the slaughter of the African-American church people. Yale has been slow to respond to the sensitivities of its community.
Actually, he resigned, he was not fired. And Yale also asked the DA not to press charges. I support him, and his actions, but please, asking for money under false pretenses is not right. He was not fired. He voluntarily quit. Yale also stated today it would remove the entire offensive window panel permanently.
I'm glad he smashed it! Someone had to wake them up! How can one work day in and day out with that reminder of "less than human" over their heads? I'm glad it has taught Yale to remove other such designs and make them part of history instead of the present.
Yale issued a press release saying it accepted his rescission of his resignation and he was reinstated and starting work on Monday. I issued a press release in response that he was delight to accept reinstatement and would return to work on Monday. Tuesday the court is expected to enter an order of "nolle prosequi" and that will end the criminal court matter. Any other details will be handled by the Union and Yale University.
Mr. Menafee returned to his job at Yale on Monday and on Tuesday all the criminal charges were "nolled". Let me express thanks to Bianca for setting up the site, to Jenny Lumet for her gift of a lap top computer, to Unidad Latina Accion,all the Yale faculty, students and alumni, alumnae and the media (local and state papers and tv, Democracy Now) who supported Mr. Menafee and worked for his reinstatement. We won!!! All the funds will go to repair the damage to Mr. Menafee's finances, including the support of his children and to repay loans he took out to cover expenses in the past 6 weeks. This has truly been proof of the power of the people. You ALL made a difference. Justice has been done.
Hey Corey, I hope you win!
My question is why does Yale in Connecticut have such a window? Cotton as far as I know could not grow that far North. Thanks to everyone supporting Mr Menafee.
Recommend checking out the video in the update.
Almost at the 12K goal! This is so great to see.