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Yale Dishwasher Corey Menafee, Who Broke Racist Window, Wins Job Back

HeadlineJul 20, 2016

And former Yale University dishwasher Corey Menafee has won back a job at Yale, after he was fired for smashing a stained-glass window depicting enslaved Africans carrying bales of cotton. This is Corey Menafee speaking on Democracy Now!

Corey Menafee: “It was—it depicted a male and a female, both appearing to be African-American, standing in a field of white crops, what appear to be cotton, with baskets over their heads. And I believe one of the figures were actually smiling, which is like so condescending, because looking back on slavery, like, it wasn’t a happy time for African Americans.”

Amy Goodman: “Describe what you did as you looked up at the stained glass that you’d seen for a while.”

Corey Menafee: “Well, I just basically took a broom handle and destroyed the image.”

Menafee was working at the time at Yale’s residential dorm Calhoun College, named after former Vice President John C. Calhoun, one of the most prominent pro-slavery figures in American history. For years students have demanded Yale change the building’s name. On Tuesday, Menafee told Democracy Now! “I am delighted to return to work.”

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