GW Alpha Phi/FacebookThree students have been expelled from their university sorority after posting a racist Snapchat.
The Alpha Phi sorority at George Washington University, Washington DC, expelled three girls, one who posted the picture and two who are featured in it.
The picture shows two girls, one of whom is holding a banana skin, and the caption ‘I’m 1/16 black’:
SnapchatObviously it goes without saying that associating bananas with blackness is some Victorian era racism.
More than anything it is truly bizarre that anyone thought that the image would be appropriate to post anywhere.
I’m sure that the girls never expected such serious consequences from something as trivial as a single Snapchat but when the content is this controversial it is bound to be screengrabbed and shared.
The sorority posted a statement on Facebook explaining the situation:
On January 31, 2018, a member of our chapter posted a racist image on snapchat that contained two other members in our…
Posted by GW Alpha Phi on Friday, 2 February 2018
Their statement reads:
On January 31, 2018, a member of our chapter posted a racist image on snapchat that contained two other members in our chapter engaged in offensive and inexcusable behavior. We apologize for the delay in posting this response. We recognize that our earlier response, supplied by our National Headquarters, did not reflect the severity of this racist act. We want to take this opportunity to apologize without qualification and take responsibility for the actions of our members.
We are culpable for this action as a group in which a few felt comfortable making a joke that was distinctly racist, ignorant, and harmful. We are in no way trying to contextualize, excuse, or forgive the events that occurred.
We recognize that there are issues within our organization relating to our privilege and lack of diversity, and we are committed to listening to the voices of those who have been harmed by the actions of those individuals and by our actions as a chapter.
The three members in question are in the process of having their membership terminated.
At this time, we have reached out to the Multicultural Student Services Center in an effort to begin the process towards reconciliation and reeducation.
Gotta be <3 APhi
Posted by GW Alpha Phi on Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Concerningly one of the replies to the Facebook post seemed to imply that this racist Snapchat is not an isolated incident:
I’m one of the alumna in the DC area who wrote to the Executive Office about racism plaguing our fraternity. Please let us know if there is a way for us to help facilitate these discussions and bring about real change.
Hopefully the steps that the sorority takes to combat offensive posts will prove helpful moving forwards.
The girls involved in the Snapchat have certainly been taught an important lesson about sharing racist messages.
