Student’s Art Project Depicting 2 White Men Hanging From Nooses Causes Controversy

A California college student’s art project featuring two White men hanging from a tree with nooses around their necks is causing a polarizing reaction, Fox Sacramento reports.

Project creator and Sacramento State University student Christina Edwards , who is Black, said she wanted the display to bring attention to racial inequality in America.

Watch a news story about the project here:

“The purpose of this performance was to bring to light social injustices and the issue of inequality that impacts me and my community as a whole,” Edwards said.

Students who walked past the men had mixed reactions. “I think it’s more impactful when you use actual people, sends a stronger message that just a painting,” Alexander Richmond said.

“It should’ve been gone about in a different way,” said an anonymous student. “Maybe in an actual art showcase.”

Though Edwards said she followed campus protocol with the project, the school disagreed. “The university did not approve the display, and I want to assure everyone that I am working to address the multiple issues raised by this incident,” Sacramento State University President Alexander Gonzalez said in a statement.