A Prescott College professor and Black Lives Matter co-founder says she won’t be intimidated or deterred after being targeted by racist Facebook posts saying that “her kind” weren’t welcome in the community. 

“Everyday folks in our movement receive death threats,” Patrisse Cullors said in a post on Instagram. “In the last 24-48 hours multiple people in Chino Valley, Arizona said terrible things about me, but one person specifically called to hang me.”

The Facebook post apparently surfaced on July 8 on a page belonging to a local artist named Donna Carver.

Reached on her cellphone on Monday, Carver hung up on a reporter. She didn’t not return multiple calls, texts or emails seeking comment. 

The post said “This is the WRONG PERSON for a COLLEGE IN PRESCOTT SEND HER BACK TO CALIFORNIA.” 

Cullors, an artist, author and activist who lives in Los Angeles full-time, was hired to develop an online Masters of Fine Arts program and was named director last year. She does not spend time on the physical campus of Prescott College, a small private college that promotes “liberal arts, the environment and social justice.” 

One of the comments on the post, which appeared on the Chino Valley community page, said “Get the rope, and everyone involved gets it too.” 

The post was made under the name of local businessman Sam Keller, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment Sunday or Monday. 

In her Instagram post, Cullors noted that invoking the imagery of lynching in Black communities has a long history that invokes terror, torture and sadism.”

The racist post drew a strong condemnation from Prescott College President John Flicker, who said he supported not only Cullors, but Black Lives Matter.  

“We strongly support Patrisse’s academic freedom as a member of our faculty and her right of free speech as a citizen,” he said.  

“These racist messages are unacceptable and do not represent the values of our community, and we are grateful for the growing number of messages we are receiving supporting Patrisse and her work,” he said.

Professor emeritus Joanie Clingan praised Cullors’ work at the college, as well as her activism. Clingan said the racist posts were disturbing but not surprising. 

“We do have social justice programs, and this has been a big focus of the college forever,” she said, “We’ve been in conflict with the locals for a long time.”

Prescott, Arizona’s original territorial capital, is a politically conservative community. It is overwhelmingly white — 92% according to the latest U.S. Census figures — and older, with more than one-third third of its residents over age 65. 

Clingan, who has been affiliated with the college for more than 20 years, said she has observed currents of racism. 

“What’s fascinating about it is people are so crazy racist that they don’t even look at the details,” she said. “I don’t even know if she’s actually ever been to Prescott, and yet the comments are like, ‘What are they doing to our children?'” 

On Saturday, Cullors was scheduled to be the topic of discussion at a meeting of the Yavapai County Oath Keepers and their guest, former Prescott Mayor Harry Oberg, who is running for a seat on the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, according to the organization’s Facebook page. 

The Oath Keepers is a national organization made up of active and former military members and public safety officers who consider themselves to be “guardians of the republic.” The oath refers to their vow to defend the U.S. Constitution. The organization is a considered to be a far right-wing extremist group with anti-government views. 

“Did you know Prescott College has appointed a ‘well trained Marxist’ from California, the founder of Black Lives Matter, to teach our Prescott students?” the post reads. “And that person brought a team of others from California, like a Marxist task force! Our guest (Oberg) has asked to discuss this with our group, and asks for your help to determine what can be done to reverse this decision. Bring your ideas, and lots of friends.” 

Oberg did not immediately return a call left with his campaign office, and James Arroyo, the administrator of the Oath Keeper’s Facebook page, did not return a call to his home in Chino Valley. 

Prescott police Lt. John Brambila said on Monday that the department was aware of the posts and the case was being monitored by the department’s threat liaison officers.

He added that while “we found the posts very concerning, ” the posts were apparently made outside of Prescott, on the Chino Valley Community Page, so “no crime occurred within the Prescott city limits.”

He referred questions to the Chino Valley Police Department. A spokesperson there said the matter was being handled by Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. 

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office’s public information officer Dwight Develyn said, however, he was not aware of an active investigation into the case. 

The woman who originally posted the comments about Cullors, Donna Carver, is a longtime Prescott artist and is member of the Mountain Artists Guild. 

According to the artist statement on her website, she was raised in New England. 

“My creative soul has always been rejuvenated by the strength and energy of the Coastal Waters,”  her statement reads. “It has been my inspiration for my works of art. Other subjects which capture my creative spirit include boats, rivers and hillsides from heartwarming travel experiences throughout the United Kingdom and Western Europe. The other area which touches my soul is anything Asian.”

Dawn Zintel, the president of the Mountain Artists Guild in Prescott, said she’s heard from a number of members who were upset by Carver’s post.

“We found out from the public on Thursday evening and were quite shocked, ” she said.

“We have very clear values about inclusivity. We’re doing our best to deal with the issue, reinforcing our values … We’ve reached out to the community at large to say this not who we are.”

Zintel said she had spoken with Carver, who was upset about bringing unwanted attention to the guild.

“She is very well known here in the art world,” Zintel said. “She was also fearful because she’s been threatened.” 

Zintel said the guild was reaching out to the college and to Cullors to offer support. 

Cullors, meanwhile, said in her Instagram post that while she took the post seriously, she won’t be taking any special precautions.

“I don’t take death threats lightly, I’m also not stopping my life due to death threats,” Cullors said.

Cullors, a self-described Marxist, is a Fulbright Scholar who completed her MFA work at the University of Southern California’s Roski School of Art and Design in May 2019.

She has been the subject of a number of articles in national publications. Her thesis was a performance, “Respite, Reprieve, and Healing: An Evening of Cleansing,” was covered by the Los Angeles Times. The event “explored themes such as exhaustion, restoration, and queer world building through ritual Black hair washing and procession movements.”

She also is the co-author of “When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir.”

Her bio states that Cullors has been active in criminal justice reform efforts and led the Reform LA Jails’ “Yes on R” campaign, a ballot initiative that passed by a large margin in March.

In her Instagram post, she said her work at Prescott College is important to her.

“My students are incredible and talented and brilliant,” she said. “I won’t let white racists stop me from showing up for Black freedom. That ain’t gonna happen.”

John D’Anna is a reporter on The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com storytelling team. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @azgreenday. 

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