Yale offers to rehire black dishwasher who broke stained glass depicting slaves
Yale University has offered to rehire Corey Menafee, a black dishwasher who destroyed a stained glass panel on campus that depicted two slaves carrying bales of cotton.
Menafee was working in a dorm dining hall when the impulse hit him.
He admitted what he did, apologized and resigned after working at Yale for nine years.
On Tuesday, Yale announced that it has offered to rehire him, but that the decision to return is up to Menafee.
“Mr. Menafee, who resigned in June after he admitted intentionally breaking a stained glass window, has expressed deep remorse about his actions and informed us that he would like to rescind his resignation,” the university said in a statement.
“He will be allowed to return to a position in a different setting, starting on Monday, after serving a five-week unpaid suspension (including the time since his resignation on June 21).”
The statement said that Yale has informed Menafee’s attorney, Patricia Kane, that it is “willing to grant his request for a second chance.”
Kane told The Hartford Courant that Menafee was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. But he told the newspaper last week that he wanted to go back to Yale.
Kane said Menafee had not agreed to Yale’s terms and that “they are totally incorrect to present this as a done deal.”
The residential college where Menafee worked is named after John C. Calhoun, slaveholder, slavery advocate and former U.S. vice president.
On June 13, while helping to clean the hall, Menafee stood on a table and used a broom to break the glass panel.
“I took a broomstick, and it was kind of high, and I climbed up and reached up and broke it,” Menafee told the New Haven Independent, adding that he was tired of looking at the “racist, very degrading” image.
“It’s 2016, I shouldn’t have to come to work and see things like that. I just said: ‘That thing’s coming down today. I’m tired of it. I put myself in a position to do it, and did it.”
His boss saw him do it, and New Haven police arrived on the scene, taking him away in handcuffs, according to media reports.
Menafee, the father of two children and a graduate of Virginia Union University, told the Independent that he regretted breaking the window.
“It could be termed as civil disobedience,” he said. “But there’s always better ways of doing things like that than just destroying things. It wasn’t my property, and I had no right to do it.”
Menafee is facing a second-degree misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment and a first-degree felony charge of criminal mischief. He made his first appearance in court last week; his case was continued to July 26.
People packed a courtroom in New Haven Superior Court as a show of support.
“Yale has already asked the State’s Attorney to drop all charges,” the university’s statement said.
“We are willing to take these unusual steps given the unique circumstances of this matter, and it is now up to Mr. Menafee whether he wishes to return to Yale.”
The Yale Daily News reported that the broken pane has been replaced with clear glass.
This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Yale offers to rehire black dishwasher who broke stained glass depicting slaves."