A group of white men calling themselves “Fearless Debates” showed up at Tennessee State University (TSU), an HBCU in Nashville, wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and carrying signs that read “DEI should be illegal” and “Deport all illegals now.”
The group arrived around 3 p.m. on Sept. 23.
“They attempted to draw students into conversations centered on these messages, which were framed as debate but functioned as provocation,” the Nashville chapter of the NAACP wrote in a Facebook post.
In a separate statement on its official Facebook page, TSU emphasized that the group was not affiliated with the university and had no approval to be on campus. Campus police and staff responded quickly, escorting the trespassers off school grounds, Yahoo News reports.
“At all times, TSU students conducted themselves in a professional and respectful manner,” the university said. “The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff remain our highest priority. TSU will continue to uphold university policies and ensure that campus remains a safe, welcoming, and orderly environment for all members of our community.”
Social media accounts believed to be tied to the group suggest they were inspired by right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, who frequently went viral for public debates on divisive topics. Kirk was fatally shot during one such event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, Yahoo News reports.
TSU students could be seen shouting at the men as they were packing up their signs. They were escorted from the campus by police.
The Nashville NAACP chapter said it was “infuriated and alarmed” that historically Black colleges and universities continue to be targeted by groups using “rhetoric that echoes a long history of exclusion, racism, and systemic oppression.” The organization also warned HBCUs, NAACP partners, and Black leaders to be on alert for similar provocations.
“This incident was not an isolated act of political expression — it was an intentional effort to antagonize, disrupt, and instill fear in a space created to be safe, affirming, and supportive of Black students,” the group said. “While we recognize and respect that free speech is a constitutional right, there is a clear and urgent distinction between constructive dialogue and rhetoric deliberately designed to provoke, demean, and endanger the psychological safety of students at HBCUs.”
