Two students from a boarding school in Tennessee were caught hurling racial abuses and threatening to burn black people on a cross in a video posted on their Snapchat accounts. Post the outrage, McCallie School had confirmed that the students were no longer enrolled with them.
Students Made Monkey Noises, Used Racial Slurs in Video
The clip that was initially shared by the boys on Snapchat has surfaced on multiple social media platforms including Twitter. The racist statements in the video include the student saying, "You're gonna be on your knees calling me master before you know it, boy," and, "Watch your step, (expletive) boy. I'll show you what my ancestors did to your kind."
Other statements include references to whipping, "monkey boy" and, "I'll burn you on a mother(expletive) cross."
After the video went viral, Lee Burns, head of McCallie school, expressed his disappointment in a letter written to the parents on Monday. "What was said on that video saddens and angers me in many ways, most especially for our black students," said. "I am sorry for the pain and hurt it caused. There is no place at McCallie for making comments that demean an individual based on race, religion, country, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or any other identity marker."
Were Both the Students Expelled?
Following the outrage, the boarding school authorities confirmed that the students were no longer part of the school. In a statement on Twitter, the school wrote that it had been "made aware of a video containing racist comments."
"Racism of any form is not tolerated at McCallie and violates our community standards," the tweets said. "The matter was promptly investigated. The school immediately enacted disciplinary measures, including expulsion." However, it was not specified if student who recorded the video, or a second who appeared in it, was expelled.
Local3 News reported that Rev. Ann Pierre, the president of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County branch of the NAACP said that the young men felt that it was acceptable to say what they said. "So that tells me that this is not the first time."
"What about the punishment for the other individuals who knew it occurred, did not say anything about it," Pierre said. "And one brave soul sent that information out because it was offensive to them."
Stating that the situation could be used as a learning moment, used to teach students about the power of words and the importance of Black history, Pierre said, "They might argue with me and say that they're doing that. But their product says that they're not doing that."
