By: Leon Kwasi Kuntuo-Asare
Over the weekend, a disturbing video went viral on social media showing young white female students targeting a Black student’s home at the University of Mississippi. The footage, captured directly on a doorbell camera outside the apartment of freshman Jakiyra Metcalf, caught two students making degrading monkey noises and monkey gestures right at the front door.
Jakiyra, who lives with two other young Black women, posted the video online to expose the harassment. Millions of people saw it, and the righteous public outrage was instant.
Now, one of the students caught in the act has publicly apologized after leaving the school. But Black people know this routine all too well: commit blatant racism when you think nobody is watching, and then cry and apologize only after millions of people see you on camera.
University officials quickly put out statements calling the incident “deeply troubling” and claimed an investigation is underway. But words are cheap. We have seen this same story play out at Ole Miss before, including just two years ago when a white student made similar racist animal gestures at a Black woman on campus.
Our young Black people do not go to college to be dehumanized, intimidated, or hunted down in the spaces where they sleep and study. College is supposed to be a place to learn and grow, but for Black students in America, anti-Black racism remains a constant threat.
Empty apologies do not wipe away systemic hatred. We must demand real consequences, real safety, and total accountability.
For Additional Information And Sources Use Links Below:
Ole Miss Freshman Caught Making Monkey Noises Outside Black Student’s Apartment Withdraws from School, Says She Meant No Harm
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