Students Spark Controversy Again With Racist Snapchat Photos

Officials at the University of North Dakota are investigating two racially charged Snapchat photos that were posted by students within a 48-hour stretch.

One, which featured four white girls wearing black mud masks and was captioned “Black lives matter,” was strikingly similar to the Snapchat photo posted just days before by Kansas State University student Paige Shoemaker, showing herself and a friend wearing black face masks. The caption — “Feels good to finally be a nigga” — got her kicked out of the college and raked over the coals on social media. She has since apologized.

There’s been no apology yet for the two UND images, the second of which showed three white students laughing in a dorm room, captioned “locked the black bitch out.” Another student, Etonde Maloke, posted that photo to Facebook on Sept. 20, explaining, “My friend left her phone in her room and the three kids pictured below took her phone and took the snapchat pictured below,” and adding, “The University of North Dakota needs to take action against these students for this blatant act of racism.”

University president Mark Kennedy issued a statement on Sept. 22 in response to the incidents, saying, in part, “I am appalled that within 48 hours two photos with racially-charged messages have been posted on social media and associated with the UND campus community. It is abundantly clear that we have much work to do at the University of North Dakota in educating our students, and the entire University community on issues related to diversity, inclusion, and respect for others.”

The school police department and Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities is currently investigating the incidents, noted Kennedy, who also wrote, “I have been disappointed to learn that we have people in our university community who don’t know that the kind of behavior and messaging demonstrated in these two photos is not ok, and that, in fact, it is inexcusable.” He adds, “Based upon my conversations with students and others, I can assure you that the messages of the two photos are painful to many individuals.”

Among them is former university student Amina Chinnell-Mateen, who posted the “Black lives matter” Snapchat image to Facebook, noting, “The problem is growing worse here at UND. Please share this new photo and let the University of North Dakota know this is not okay! … The very act of taking something so many people use and putting black lives matter to mock us is racism.”

Facebook commenters were not impressed with the official response of UND, where, according to enrollment data on UND’s website, more than 78 percent of students are white, and 2.49 percent are black. “I think your immediate task is to expel these students. Only possible way to reclaim your reputation, which right now is in tatters,” noted one critic. Another added, “University of North Dakota, it’s been a week????? Please do not think that we will forget about this… This will not be swept under the rug!!” Others called for immediate expulsion for all involved.

As for beauty masks being used in two of the photo incidents, some commenters and Tweeters pointed out to those who questioned it that it’s not the resulting blackface alone that’s the problem. “I don’t think many people overtly say, ‘Hey look at my black face,’” noted one commenter on Chinnell-Mateen’s Facebook post of the image. “Instead, they caption it ‘black lives matter,’ which is mocking, and condescending, and not an innocent facial peel by any means.”

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