The University of North Dakota is investigating a photo that shows four white students in black facial masks that was posted on Snapchat with the caption “Black lives matter.”
This is the second racist photo to emerge from students at the university in less than 48 hours.
An picture of three white students, one of whom flashes a peace sign, reading “Locked the black b—h out,” surfaced from a student’s Snapchat earlier.
via Star Tribune:
“I am appalled that within 48 hours two photos with racially-charged messages have been posted on social media and associated with the UND campus community,” UND President Mark Kennedy said in a statement.
UND spokesman Peter Johnson confirmed to the Star Tribune that the three people involved in the first Snapchat incident are students currently enrolled at the school. It has not yet been verified if the four people in blackface are also UND students.
“It is abundantly clear that we have much work to do at the University of North Dakota in educating our students, and the entire University community on issues related to diversity, inclusion, and respect for others,” Kennedy said Thursday.
According to enrollment data, only 2.5 percent of UND’s 2015-16 student body is African American, while 79 percent is Caucasian. Kennedy said the school is in the process of “exploring best practices for diversity education amongst premier institutions” and bringing it to reality at UND.
“I have heard from many within our campus community, as well as alums and individuals not directly connected to the University, who are encouraging us to use this situation as an opportunity to address what some see as long standing issues within our community and across the country,” the president stated.
The UND Police Department and the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities are conducting the Snapchat investigations. Kennedy said the university is moving as fast as it can with the investigations.
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