Megan Moore
BU News Service
A black professor and two students from New York University’s journalism program say they were racially profiled during a Marco Rubio campaign event Sunday afternoon in New Hampshire.
Professor Yvonne Latty and graduate students Ugonma Ubani-Ebere and Taisha Henry were covering the Rubio event for a school publication.
Ubani-Ebere said she and Henry were asked by Rubio staffers to put away their cameras while they were setting up equipment on the risers in the press area because they didn’t have press credentials. Their white classmates were able to set up on the risers without any questions from Rubio staff.
While they complied and stopped setting up, they were approached a second time and warned not to film.
“We got really upset because we had classmates just like us filming,” Ubani-Ebere said.
A spokesperson for the Rubio campaign could not be reached for comment. Michael Zona, New Hampshire communications director for the Rubio campaign, told Wired that the student reporters were asked to move because first priority on the risers goes to media who have RSVP’d. After that, the space is first-come, first served, Zona told Wired. However, Latty and the students felt targeted by the way that they were treated.
“They were watched from the moment they walked in,” Latty said. “They weren’t allowed to shoot while white counterparts were.”
Ubani-Ebere said she noticed staff members staring at her and Henry when they were told for the second time that they could not film the event. Feeling targeted, the students left the event crying. A white male classmate entered the event to gather the items Ubani-Ebere and Henry left behind after exiting and addressed Rubio staff about the situation.
The students were able to reenter and obtain footage needed for their coverage.
“We ended up going back in, but everything about the whole thing was wrong,” Ubani-Ebere said.
Latty took to Twitter after the incident to describe her version of the events.
Awful experience at townhall for #Rubio my two #black @nyu_journalism students were racially profiled #newhampshireprimary
— yvonnelatty (@yvonnelatty) February 7, 2016
I am going 2 explain what happened with my @nyu_journalism being racially profiled #Rubio townhall @jayrosen_nyu
— yvonnelatty (@yvonnelatty) February 7, 2016
1) there were only 3 blacks including me and #nyu_journalism students among hundreds of white people at #Rubio townhall. Hassles began fast.
— yvonnelatty (@yvonnelatty) February 7, 2016
2)white and black @nyu_journalism students had cameras only blacks were repeatedly told to put away. It was relentless. #Rubio townhall
— yvonnelatty (@yvonnelatty) February 7, 2016
3)black students said they would but got upset when white students standing next to them with cameras were told nothing. @nyu_journalism
— yvonnelatty (@yvonnelatty) February 7, 2016
4) black students realized what was going on and began to cry. I confronted head guy but damage was done. @nyu_journalism
— yvonnelatty (@yvonnelatty) February 7, 2016
I also felt racially profiled. They did not want to let me into the #rubio event even when I was given a press pass. @nyu_journalism
— yvonnelatty (@yvonnelatty) February 7, 2016
Like #rubio I am a child of a Latino immigrant. But it was clear we were not welcomed at his townhall. @nyu_journalism
— yvonnelatty (@yvonnelatty) February 7, 2016
Henry and Ubani-Ebere also tweeted about the incident.
Wow….I just experienced some racism at the @marcorubio townhall. #NewHampshirePrimary #NewHampshire
— Taisha Henry (@Taisha_Henry) February 7, 2016
Rubio’s staff is upset that two Black @nyu_journalism graduate student reporters attempted 2 film his speech. #NHPrimary
— Taisha Henry (@Taisha_Henry) February 7, 2016
Said we didn’t have the right press credentials, what about the other student reporters (white), next to us without badges. @marcorubio
— Taisha Henry (@Taisha_Henry) February 7, 2016
we were picked on. We pointed out our white classmate who didn’t have the “right credentials”. #Rubio worker didn’t care. Focused on us. #NH
— Taisha Henry (@Taisha_Henry) February 7, 2016
My friend & I were moved to tears. That’s when #Rubio worker feared a PR nightmare. He asked us “what can I do to help?” #NHPrimary
— Taisha Henry (@Taisha_Henry) February 7, 2016
#Rubio worker eventually let us in, but his colleague wasn’t happy about that. Def disgusted by the way his staff treated us. #NHPrimary
— Taisha Henry (@Taisha_Henry) February 7, 2016
What a stressful day!
Never been racially profiled before. Needless to say I’m more stressed that it happened at @marcorubio townhall #NHP— Ugonma Ubani-Ebere (@Ugonma_UE) February 7, 2016
You think people will treat you the same, even when you have the same credentials as the next person, but sadly I learned that’s not true
— Ugonma Ubani-Ebere (@Ugonma_UE) February 7, 2016
