Alabama student investigated over videos using racial slur
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A University of Alabama student who repeatedly used a racial slur in videos posted on social media is being investigated by the school’s student conduct office, a university spokesman confirmed Wednesday.
In the first Instagram video, the young woman uses a racial slur for African-Americans, saying, “I love how I act like I love black people because I … hate … .” In a second expletive-filled video responding to criticism, she says she’ll use the word “as much as I want.”
“I don’t care if it’s Martin Luther King Day,” she says before saying the slur again and again. She then says she will use the slur because she is both from New Jersey and, “I’m in the South now.”
“I’m in the South now … so everyone can … off. I’m from New Jersey so I can say … as much as I want.”
The videos were first reported by al.com.
University spokesman Chris Bryant confirmed a student is being investigated. The Associated Press is not identifying her because she has not been charged with a crime. An email to her university account was not returned.
The University of Alabama issued a statement condemning the comments.
“These remarks are ignorant and disturbing and in no way reflect the values of The University of Alabama,” the statement said. “This unfortunate behavior has been reported to the Office of Student Conduct as it does not align with the community expectations of students at the Capstone.”
In the video, the woman identified herself as a member of Alpha Phi sorority and said she had wanted to be in the sorority since high school. Linda Kahangi, executive director of Alpha Phi, said the student “is no longer a member of Alpha Phi.”
“Alpha Phi is a diverse, values-based organization and condemns the language and opinions in these videos,” Kang wrote in an email response to a query from The Associated Press. “They are offensive and hateful to both our own members and to other members of the Greek and campus community.”
The student referred to the Instagram account where the videos appeared as her “finsta,” a made-up word meaning “fake Instagram,” a secondary account that some Instagram users create to share certain posts with a selective number of people. Someone made a screen recording of the post and shared it publicly.