'Welcome to the Trump plantation': Historically black college vandalized after Betsy DeVos gaffe
Graffiti at Howard University (Italia Calino/Twitter)

Students at Howard University were greeted by racist graffiti on Tuesday, just a day after Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos came under fire for calling historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) "pioneers of school choice."


Howard University student Italia Calino tweeted a photo of the racist message that was painted on The Yard's sidewalk.

"Welcome to the Trump plantation," the graffiti reads. "Overseer: Wayne A. I. Frederick."

On Monday, DeVos had used a statement about HBCUs to push her "school choice" agenda. Following President Donald Trump's meeting with several leaders of historically black colleges, DeVos released a statement calling HBCUs “real pioneers when it comes to school choice.”

Critics said that DeVos statement ignored the fact that HBCUs were created because Jim Crow-era segregation gave black students few choices in higher education.