A white undergraduate at the University of Mississippi has apologized and left the school after appearing in a video in which she appeared to be racially harassing a fellow student. While the student in the viral video denies she was acting racially, the university has pledged to investigate the matter.
Ole Miss students’ racist actions go viral, leading to apology and withdrawal from one student
A video taken by the door camera of a Black University of Mississippi student went viral over the weekend. In the clip, three white female Ole Miss students can be seen approaching the door and making ape-like grunts and gestures. Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg shared a Facebook post by Tasha Bolton, who wrote, “My daughter sent me this video from her Ring camera at her apartment.” Bolton, who is Black, explained that her daughter is “a freshman at the University of Mississippi. She has 2 black roommates. The girls on the video live upstairs from them.”
After the video spread across social media and drew reaction from the university, one of the women in the clip has apologized for her actions. “To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize,” she said in her statement, according to ABC News. The student maintains that she did not have racist intent and claims to not have known that she was outside the apartment of Black students. “Before the incident on November 6, I never met the women involved and was unaware of their race, however, I recognize my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful,” the student said in her statement. A source also indicates that the same student has withdrawn from the university. TMZ identified the student as 18-year-old freshman Alaina Kunes and indicates that Kunes says she has received death threats after the video spread online. TMZ later reported that Kunes had withdrawn from the university amid the reported threats and harassment, noting that she hadn’t been forced to leave because of any disciplinary action and that her withdrawal left the door open for her to return to the school in the future.
University investigates as Black students and parents react to the incident
University of Mississippi Vice Chancellor Shawnboda Mead released a statement addressing the video, describing it as depicting “University of Mississippi students engaging in racist gestures directed toward other students.” Mead condemned the actions of the students in the video as “deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable,” saying the behavior “does not reflect our university’s values or the kind of community we strive to be every day.” Mead said that Ole Miss had reached out to students directly impacted by the incident, presumably including the students who live in the apartment, and stated that the university was investigating the incident and was “committed to following our established processes to ensure a thorough review while prioritizing the safety and well-being of our campus community.” Mead also warned against inaccurate information about the incident spreading. “We are aware that one student has been incorrectly identified as being involved in this incident,” Mead wrote. “To be clear, no members of our sorority community were involved. Sharing unverified information can cause additional harm to people who had nothing to do with what occurred.”
While the investigation continues, it remains unclear what disciplinary action, if any, the three white students might face. However, the Black students and parents who have had to deal with the racist incident have expressed some sympathy for the women who made the offensive gestures. CBS News’ Jericka Duncan spoke exclusively with Jakiyra Metcalf, Kaiyden Caldwell and Victoria Johnson, the three Black Ole Miss students who live in the apartment where the video was taken. During the interview, one of the students said that Kunes withdrawing was the right decision for Kunes’ own “peace and safety.” Meanwhile, the mother of one of the Black students also spoke about Kunes, saying “I hate that she withdrew from school, you see what I’m saying, because the course of her life, that’s going to affect her too.” The mother also expressed hope for the future, saying “I wish people will be mindful and just think.”
While the Black students and families impacted by the racist incident at Ole Miss are thus displaying grace toward one of the students who performed the offensive actions, outrage continues to spread over the viral video. Now, the university must continue its work to decide how the students who performed these actions should be held accountable and to support the students impacted by their choices.