Slice of Life

Meet the SU freshman behind political cartoons inspired by #NotAgainSU protest

Diana Riojas | Feature Editor

Sam Cote is behind the political cartoons shared by social media platforms during the #NotAgainSU movement.

By Allison Weis

The first time Sam Cote attended the #NotAgainSU sit-in, he walked in with his camera. He was told that they weren’t allowing cameras, so instead, he went back to his dorm that night, processed what he thought about the sit-in and made a cartoon with Otto the Orange in it.  

Since then, he’s drawn at least four political cartoons about the recent racist and bias-related events that have happened at or near Syracuse University, and how the university has handled them. The cartoons have been published in Jerk Magazine, an on-campus student publication, and shared on other publications’ social media. 

“I believed the only other route that seemed available to me at that time was drawing,” Cote said.   

The freshman said that before coming to SU, he was unaware of events like Theta Tau —  when a professional engineering fraternity made and circulated videos in containing racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic and ableist comments in spring 2018. 

That was until the Department of Public Safety sent the first email about racist graffiti found in Day Hall last week, and upperclassmen told him some history of racism on campus. 

#NotAgainSU, a black-led student movement, has occupied the lobby of the Barnes Center at The Arch in a peaceful protest since Nov. 13 at 10:30 a.m. in response to the university’s original lack of communication about the racist graffiti. In the past two weeks, at least 12 hate crimes or bias-related incidents have been reported on and near SU’s campus.  

Cote said as a white male, he’s not an affected individual. However, he said he wanted to do everything he could to be there for his friends on this campus who feel unsafe. 

The artist added that he hadn’t drawn political cartoons before getting involved in #NotAgainSU.  Cote, who has drawn all his life, said in high school it became a means of expression. He said that since he developed this skill, it would be useful in doing satirical cartoons.  

He said social media has had a big role in the movement. Along with Jerk Magazine, Cote’s cartoons have been shared on Renegade Magazine’s and #NotAgainSU’s Instagram.  

“I tried to make the cartoons transparent in what they’re trying to say. I want people to see the cartoons and come to their own conclusions about them,” Cote said. 

 He said that social media provides context and information for students on campus who might not understand the protest.  

 Chandler Plante, the executive digital director of Jerk Magazine, said that while the publication hasn’t been a part of campus movements before, it’s trying something different with #NotAgainSU. 

“Our job as a magazine is to focus on the accused student and the accused world,” Plante said. “And so that’s why we thought that it was so important to get involved and that specific movement; that’s why you’re seeing so many cartoons.”  

Plante added that social media helps expand the movement outside of the black and Asian communities that were directly targeted by the events in Day Hall by allowing people to show solidarity. She added that she’s seen a lot of other registered student organizations showing solidarity, too. 

“Spreading awareness, taking a stance, encouraging white people to be allies, I think has been a really big part of the social media push,” Plante said.  

Cote said that if he comes up with more cartoons, he will definitely share them.  

“It’s disappointing in a lot of ways,” Cote said. “I just hope that throughout the rest of my four years that this is something that can be solved and we can at least make progress at this time.” 





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