NAACP hits back after racist photo surfaces online

After University of South Carolina officials suspended a student in connection with a photograph of a racial slur on one of the school’s whiteboards, the South Carolina NAACP issued a statement that said the racist comment is evidence that some “wish they were still in Dixie.”

Although Lonnie Randolph Jr., president of the S.C. NAACP, said the decision by university officials to suspend the student after the photo appeared on social media was a step forward, the student’s actions are a step back in social equality.

“This actual act shows we still have racism in our climate,” Randolph said. “There is nothing OK about making racist remarks.”

The student, who was not named, also faces university code of conduct investigations, USC President Harris Pastides said. A school spokesman would not say if the student faces expulsion.

The photo shows a white female student writing on a whiteboard with the slur about African-Americans. The racial slur was listed as among the reasons why USC’s wireless Internet connections operate poorly, along with “overpopulated campus” and “incompetent professors.” The student is writing the word “parking” in the photo.

Pastides cited the school’s 25-year-old social honor code known as the Carolinian Creed, which says in part: “I will respect the dignity of all persons; I will discourage bigotry while striving to learn from differences in people, ideas and opinions.”

“Today, the unfortunate and disappointing act of a student in a study room has challenged the Carolina community to reflect on our values and tell the world what we believe,” Pastides said. “Racist and uncivil rhetoric have no place at the University of South Carolina.”

But Randolph said the racism recently seen at college campuses across the nation is a small part of a larger problem.

“The entire system needs to change and the many people who support what this young lady (wrote) need to change,” Randolph said. “Look at what happened at Clemson University; look at what happened at the University of Oklahoma; why is it that so many Americans get such pleasure trying to destroy one group of people?”

A Clemson fraternity suspended operations last winter after photos of a “Cripmas” gang-themed holiday party surfaced on social media. Clemson said Friday that the fraternity had been disciplined.

A University of Oklahoma fraternity was closed this year after a video went viral showing members singing a song with a racist word about African-Americans.

This story was originally published April 5, 2015 at 4:25 PM with the headline "NAACP hits back after racist photo surfaces online."