A historic building in Virginia, which is known to be the one-room schoolhouse for black children during the segregation era and is planned to be turned into a museum, was vandalized with Nazi swastikas and derogatory words. The investigation as to who is responsible for the vandalism is underway.
CBS News says that the school is located in Loudoun County, Virginia. It was defaced with different colors of spray paints and the words "white power," "I'm with stupid," and many more. The Nazi signs were also seen written on the property. Accordingly, the vandalism took place on Friday evening.
The 19th century building is now owned by the School for the Gifted. Their students are reportedly working on restoring the building with the help of their students. They are now turning it into a public museum, which was the initial plan. The museum will serve as a building to educate the children in the area, New York Daily News reports.
The founder of the school, Dr. Deep Sran, said in a statement that they are also envisioning the museum to be a place to teach children. The original classroom will be used for a short term class that would give "students a perspective on what it was like to learn in [that type of space]." As for their long term goal, they want to build another structure behind it that is envisioned to have a teaching pavilion and a small education museum. Sran noted that the graffiti, which were made in all but one side of the building, will impede the restoration plans for the former school as the writings are needed to be carefully removed since the materials holding the institution are already delicate.
Police officials are now calling on the public to come forward with any information that would lead to the suspect or suspects. Sheriff Mike Chapman said that the vandalism of the school is reprehensible and will not be tolerated. County Chair Phyllis Randall echoed Chapman's statement, saying that such behavior is not welcome in the county.
