No, this is not vandalism… it’s celebrating diversity!

Via WRAL:

A Civil War memorial statue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was found vandalized Sunday morning with the words “black lives matter.”

The statue, known as Silent Sam, was erected in 1913 as a monument to 321 alumni who died in the Civil War and students who joined the Confederate Army, according to the university’s website.

Vandals used black spray paint to deface the statue, which also had the words “KKK” and “murderer” written on it. No suspects or arrests have been made.

Rick White, the school’s associate vice chancellor of Communications and Public Affairs, released the following statement Sunday:

“We understand that the issue of race and place is both emotional and, for many, painful. Carolina is working hard to ensure we have a thoughtful, respectful and inclusive dialogue on the issue,” he said. “The extensive discussions with the Carolina community this past year by the Board of Trustees and University leadership, and the work we will be doing to contextualize the history of our campus is a big part of advancing those conversations. We welcome all points of view, but damaging or defacing statues is not the way to go about it.”

The graffiti sparked debate among some in the campus community about whether the statue should be removed.