SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Two days after the presidential election, Dawn Hines discovered a hateful, racist message graffitied on her fence.
Located in the historically Black town of Lawnside, New Jersey, she and other community members were distraught. The message read, “I HATE [N-words] SORRY NOT SORRY,” along with a drawing of male genitalia.
“I became numb,” Hines said. “At first, I honestly thought that it was just for me, but as time went on, I realized that it was for the community.”
The tight-knit community of Lawnside was incorporated in 1926 as the first independent, self-governing Black municipality north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Hines doesn’t believe the town was chosen at random.
“Everyone knows that on the other side of that wall, that fence, is the historic Black town of Lawnside,” she said.
A vigil of peace and love was held last weekend by Embracing Race - The Conversation, a nonprofit organization made up of people from diverse backgrounds who all want to see an end to racism and hate. Founding member Mary Anne Degenhart said when they learned about the incident, they immediately wanted to take action in a meaningful way.
“How should we do this? Are we overstepping? And we’re always cautious about being — you know, like white saviors. We’re not here to offer something, except to stand with whatever the community wants without putting the burden on them,” she said.
Embracing Race member Myna Barbee is also a Lawnside resident. She lived through uprisings and faced racism head-on in the 1960s. She said it’s important to keep this conversation going, especially for those who want to simply forget about it and move on.
“They’re not aware that we still get followed in stores. They’re not aware that real racism exists here in the U.S. of A, and there are things like this, unfortunately, that wake people up,” she said.
Degenhart said it’s time for white allies to stand with communities plagued by racism.
“We really want people to go deeper,” she added. “Don’t just be nice to the Black person, or, ‘Oh, that was so terrible what somebody did.’ You really have to look inside and say, what am I doing that’s changing this?”
Hines said she’ll never forget the incident, but she’s grateful for all of the support. Her fence was repaired, free of charge, by Fence USA in Turnersville. The bias incident remains under investigation.
Meanwhile, Barbee, like many others in the community, fears this act was the first of more to come — a direct result of the presidential election, she said, as more radical elements have emboldened people to express hate.
However, she said this is nothing new, and the community will persevere.
“Do not allow it to change who you are. Continue to do the things that you want to do so that you can achieve greatness. Don’t let this type of stuff deter you.”