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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A black Lewis & Clark College student who told police he was assaulted by three white men on campus said Tuesday he forgives the attackers.
Tanguy Muvuna spoke to more than 200 students, faculty and staff in a packed lecture hall, drawing tears from many as he told his audience that he was fine.
"Those who attacked me, I forgive them," he said. If they're students, he said he wanted them to finish their studies and make their families and country proud.
He asked his fellow black students to stand with him and urged the mostly white student body to come and hug their black classmates. "And tell them that we are one," Muvuna said.
Many stepped down to deliver the hugs. Chants of "We are one! We are one!" filled the room, The Oregonian reported (http://bit.ly/1jiMG7p).
Muvuna is a 26-year-old from Rwanda who received a scholarship to attend Lewis & Clark's English Studies program. He has been in the country for less than three months.
"We are all human beings. What we have inside the skin is all the same," he said. "I like each one and everyone. I say it again. I don't have time to hate people. I have time to love them. We are all brothers and sisters."
Muvuna told the Oregonian that he was walking on campus shortly after midnight Saturday when three men approached and used a racial slur. He said one man held him from behind while another slapped, punched and kicked him. He said he was forced to drink an unknown liquid.
Meanwhile, college administrators said in a letter posted online that it's unclear whether an alleged attack on a transgender student the same night is related.
Police said Tuesday they're aware of the reported attack but don't have enough information to begin an investigation, such as the identity of the victim or the location of the assault. The student wants to remain "completely anonymous," administrators said in the letter.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
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