Two white South African students have reportedly been evicted from their campus’ halls of residence but are unlikely to face expulsion from the University of Pretoria (UP) after photographs of them in blackface dressed as stereotypical domestics surfaced on Facebook.
The pair put pillows down their skirts and wore headscarves while posing for the photos at a friend’s party. Nicolize Mulder, spokesperson for UP, told reporters the students would be punished for bringing the institution’s name into disrepute but would not comment as to whether they would be forced to leave.
The South African Students Congress (Sasco) has accused the university of teaching its youth to disrespect black people.
“It is clear to us that the white community, assisted by institutions of white privilege like UP, is teaching white youth to disrespect and poke fun at black suffering,” Sasco president Ntuthuko Makhombothi said, adding: “We have absolutely no confidence in the supposed disciplinary action the university seeks to institute against their precious white students.”
Calling the photograph “racist to the extreme”, Makhombothi said: “Black women in our country continue to suffer from triple oppression as black, female and working class. This incident ridicules the situation of black women in our country and reinforces racist stereotypes about our mothers.”
Predictably, those who have come out in favour of the students are accusing Sasco of being oversensitive to what was meant as a harmless joke; though they are less than candid about why being a black domestic is funny.
Meanwhile in America, a University of Alabama (UA) student was removed from her sorority this week for sending a racist Snapchat photo bragging that no black women were accepted to her Greek sorority house.
The executive headquarters for the Chi Omega Fraternity confirmed on Tuesday the woman who sent the image is no longer a member of the UA chapter. Rumours circulated online that the Snap was Photoshopped; Chi Omega spokeswoman Whitney Plumpton said the image being passed around is “not the original Snapchat image,” although the original did contain the slur used in the altered version.
The Snap, captioned “Chi O got “NO niggas!!!!!” over a selfie, was allegedly sent on bid day, which was Saturday (August 16th). The women’s faces are blurred in the photo circulating online.
The University of Alabama Greek system is under increased scrutiny this year, following the national attention in 2013 when sorority members began going public about how black women were systematically blocked from joining traditionally white houses, largely due to alumnae influence.
Eventually, black women did begin joining the sororities, including a handful at Chi Omega. The university hosted its largest sorority rush in history this year, and offered bids to 21 black women, according to the Associated Press.
Plumpton reconfirmed on Tuesday that the original image did have the slur included, and refocused attention to the statement the national organisation sent out on Monday, which reads:
“What was expressed is absolutely reprehensible and completely inconsistent with Chi Omega’s values and policies. Chi Omega took swift disciplinary action in accordance with the organization’s policies and procedures. The woman who took the photo is no longer a member of the chapter.”
