On January 28th, in anticipation of Street Week, Terrace Club emailed Princeton community listservs advertising its “demonic theme.” Soon after, it was informed that a certain design choice was insensitive.
The email contains an image of a ram’s head staring at the camera. Featured above and below the ram are phrases in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia. The verses in the email translate to ominous phrases, including “Your sinful soul is beyond salvation.”
The first email sent by Terrace Club advertising its Streek Week events
Amharic is spoken by about 57 million people, including some members of the Princeton community. Amharic uses the Ge‘ez script, just as English employs the Latin script.
When Terrace Club was informed of its mistake, Terrace President Alexander Moravcsik ’23 emailed an apology to the recipients of the first email. On behalf of Terrace’s Officer Corps, he explained that Amharic was used “in ignorance and for superficial aesthetic value.” Moravcsik announced that they regret the “extremely offensive implications” of the usage, and affirm Terrace’s commitment to inclusivity of all peoples.
Terrace Club’s second email, sent in apology for the first one
Later in the day, the Princeton Ethiopian and Eritrean Students Association (PEESA) emailed the student body to address Terrace’s first email. PEESA stated that using Amharic this way “strips away the dignity of the language and of the people who speak it” and is fundamentally “an attack on our community.” PEESA urged the Princeton community to reflect on this occurrence and try to prevent the ignorance that led to it.
PEESA also noted that the incident represents a continuation of a harmful online trend. The use of Amharic, including the verses within Terrace’s email, became a popular meme on Twitter in 2020. The trend was later condemned as xenophobic and hurtful by several prominent outlets.
PEESA President Kaleb Areda ’24 and Co-President Joachim Ambaw ’24 told The Tory that they discussed the incident privately with Terrace Club, and that they accepted Terrace’s apology. Areda and Ambaw added that Terrace plans to promote awareness of the issue by offering PEESA a platform and by donating to relevant organizations.
Throughout the year, PEESA hosts events to promote and educate the community about Ethiopian and Eritrean culture and also engages in service events. Areda and Ambaw told The Tory that they look forward to moving on from this incident, and to continue familiarizing Princeton with the beauty of their culture.
Terrace Club did not respond to requests for comment.
Copyright © 2024 The Princeton Tory. All rights reserved.