College of Charleston administrators are investigating a video that appears to make light of slavery, which the school’s president called “deeply offensive.”
In a letter to the campus community on Thursday afternoon, interim President Stephen C. Osborne said the college’s Division of Student Affairs is investigating the incident and “taking appropriate action in accordance with the College’s Student Code of Conduct.”
College of Charleston spokesman Mike Robertson referred the City Paper to Osborne’s statement when asked about the video, which first circulated on Twitter.
In it, two white males are seen riding in the back of a truck while a third party films them. A Snapchat geotag identifies the location as the Francis Marion National Forest.
Someone is heard saying, “Yes sir, we out here in the country about to visit my slave farm.”
Much of the rest is unintelligible, but seconds later, someone yells, “Get your black ass over here!”
The video was shot during a school-sponsored trip as part of a freshman class titled Natural History of the Lowcountry, according to Robertson.
None of the parties have been identified, though several Twitter users have taken to speculating about who they are.
“This week, I learned of a social media video that was deeply offensive and featured racist statements that made light of our country’s historical wrongs regarding slavery,” Osborne said in his letter. “These disturbing comments run completely counter to our core values of integrity, respect for the individual student, diversity and community.”
This is not the first time that College of Charleston officials have had to answer for a racist social media post. The past two Halloweens, the College president issued statements after pictures showed students wearing racist or insensitive costumes.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the Charleston Activist Network announced plans for a rally “against a culture of racism & racist acts perpetrated by non-POC students during a recent school trip.” The demonstration is set to take place at Cistern Yard in the College’s main campus Friday at noon.
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