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OXFORD, Miss. (WAPT) -- A viral video showing two women making monkey noises and gestures outside a Black University of Mississippi student’s apartment is prompting reactions from students, community leaders and the university.
The video, recorded outside an off-campus apartment complex where Ole Miss students live, shows three women walking past a student’s door. Two appear to make monkey noises and gestures. The incident has sparked conversations about racism, student safety and accountability on campus.
Kori Jeffries, an Ole Miss student, said the video made the continued presence of racism more apparent.
“Racism still exist. I mean, this video just made it even more prevalent, made it more obvious,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries said she was disgusted by what she saw but was not surprised, adding that incidents like this are not uncommon.
She also said the video has made her and other students question their safety, even inside their homes.
“It makes us feel unsafe,” Jeffries said. “Now I don’t know the next time I walk around by myself at nighttime or even if I’m just in my house, like somebody might come to my Ring doorbell and call me a slur.”
Kayla Amos, president of the University of Mississippi’s NAACP chapter, said incidents like this may happen more often than people realize.
“I think instances like this may happen all the time, but very few get caught on video,” Amos said.
Amos said she reached out to the student targeted in the video to offer support.
“I reached out to her, not only as the president, but as a fellow Black woman at this university, as a fellow student, just making sure that she felt supported and letting her know that we stood with her,” Amos said.
Amos also called for the students shown in the video to be held accountable.
“I think when we see a video like that, that is very evident of what it means. It can’t be spun any other way than directly what it means. It’s disappointing,” Amos said. “I think the students who were in the video should be held accountable. They should reap the consequences of what is evident in those videos.”
The Black Student Union also issued a statement condemning the incident and calling for a full investigation, appropriate disciplinary action and support for the student targeted.
Vincent Ford, the student’s grandfather, said his family initially struggled to process what happened.
“It was somewhat laughable at first until things started sinking in,” Ford said. “You start thinking about where you at, the type of atmosphere Mississippi brings in itself, and then the realization starts setting in.”
The incident comes amid the university’s long history of racial tensions. In 1962, James Meredith became the first Black student to enroll at Ole Miss. His enrollment sparked a deadly riot during the university’s desegregation.
The university said it condemns the behaviour shown in the video, calling it offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. Ole Miss said it has offered support and resources to the students and is investigating through its Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and its Office of Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance.
The university has said federal privacy laws limit what it can share about individual students or potential disciplinary action.
