On Saturday, Barack Obama spoke in Selma, remarking on the historic civil rights march there 50 years ago, and urging us to remember the fight for equality is ongoing: "The march is not yet over," he said. Then, as if fate was trying to prove him right, this happened:
A video surfaced Sunday showing fraternity brothers at the University of Oklahoma singing along to a kind of unbelievably racist chant. Its lyrics are too ugly to rewrite here, but using a racial slur, the members say that their frat will never admit Black members. It also jokes about lynching.
All the students in the video have been expelled from the fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and the Oklahoma chapter has been shut down. Those involved have also been suspended from the university, pending investigation.
The video prompted a school-wide protest Monday morning, attended by University President David Boren. “You are disgraceful... Real Sooners are not bigots, real Sooners are not racist," he said to those gathered, according to local papers.
The national president of the fraternity also condemned the video in a statement on Twitter, writing: "We apologize for the unacceptable and racist behavior of the individuals in the video, and we are disgusted that any member would act in such a way... [We] offer our sympathy not only to anyone outside the organization who is offended but also to our brothers who come from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities."
A YouTube video of the chant can be seen here, though we don't really recommend watching it.
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