This is a message I came across Tuesday morning that was sent to my Webmail inbox. “Black Bitch” is the subject of the message. My first thought? This has to be a joke, right? Someone is trying to play a game with me, right? With further reading and analysis, I realized someone was not playing a game with me. My life has been threatened, and I do not stand alone.

Listen to me please, MY LIFE HAS BEEN THREATENED. There are two other members of the small Black community here at CU that have received similar hate messages within the past year that I know of - me being the first Black female that has received such a hateful message, again, that I know of.

A Colorado e-mail address sent this message to me, meaning someone on the CU Boulder campus could have logged on to any Internet connection and sent me this message entitled “Black Bitch.”

I am angry. I am hurt. I am sad. I am confused. Why was I pinpointed? Why has it become okay to send hateful, hurtful messages