Emails: Students claimed Clemson banana incident not racist

Internal emails between Clemson University administrators show that the two students who admitted hanging bananas from a pole next to a banner honoring African-Americans claimed it was not racially motivated.

In one email Almeda Jacks, vice president for student affairs, questioned whether anyone would believe that story, though her email suggested that administrators did believe the students.

The emails also suggest administrators still elected to use the incident to address concerns of racial hostility on campus and engage in a dialogue with concerned students, including a question-and-answer session for students the following night.

The incident sparked protests that eventually led to a nine-day student sit-in at administrative offices at Sikes Hall, during which five students were ticketed.

In a statement to The News on Friday, Clemson said, “The student protests that took place at Sikes Hall were part of ongoing diversity and inclusion concerns and not tied solely to this banner incident.”

But Clayton Warnke, a Clemson student who sought the emails, said the banana incident was the spark that incited the protests.

“That is the very reason most of the participants in the march and sit in became involved,” he said.

Clemson released the emails to The Greenville News after a group of interested students had also acquired them through a state Freedom of Information Act request.

The emails detail communication between administrators and communications staff on how to respond after a bunch of bananas hanging from a pole at Fort Hill, the former plantation home owned by John Calhoun, was photographed and posted to social media.

This story was originally published June 4, 2016 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Emails: Students claimed Clemson banana incident not racist."