Lena Dunham, the creative force behind HBO's hit series "Girls," spoke out on Twitter Monday urging students at her alma mater Oberlin College to "protect each other" against a handful of recent race-related reports.
Classes were cancelled Monday after
a person was spotted wearing a KKK hood and robe on the Ohio campus, located about 30 miles from Cleveland. Students were instead encouraged to attend workshops and discussion panels about racism.
Urgent: High Gas Prices: Is it Obama's Fault? Vote Now
"We hope today will allow the entire community — students, faculty, and staff — to make a strong statement about the values that we cherish here at Oberlin: inclusion, respect for others, and a strong and abiding faith in the worth of every individual," read a statement from the school. "Indeed, the strength of Oberlin comes from our belief that diversity and openness enriches us all, and enhances the educational mission at its core."
Last week, a swastika and other graffiti were reported on the walls of the liberal college's Conservatory of Music. Other anti-Semitic, racist, and homophobic slurs were also reported earlier last month.
"It is important for the campus to pause to indicate its support for its student, faculty and staff who have been subject to various instances of hate," College President Marvin Krislov told Cleveland's Jewish News last week.
Dunham, who graduated from Oberlin in 2008 with a degree in creative writing, collected two Golden Globes in January for "Girls," the series she created and stars in (one for Best Actress in a TV Comedy and one for Best TV Comedy or Musical for the show as a whole).
Obamacare:
Massive New Rules Revealed for 2013
"Girls" chronicles the lives of a group of friends, some of whom met while attending Oberlin College.
Related stories:
HBO's 'Girls': 5 Facts About Lena Dunham, Best TV Comedy Actress
Lena Dunham Slammed for Going Gaga Over Bill Clinton at Golden Globes
'Lola Vs.' Hates Rom-Coms, Loves HBO's 'Girls'