‘REPREHENSIBLE’

Black College Students’ Online Meeting Interrupted by People Shouting Racial Slurs

Individuals were heard saying the n-word during the meeting.

A virtual meeting of young black men at the University of Texas was interrupted by individuals yelling racial slurs, the Austin American-Statesman reports. Students and faculty who are part of the Heman Sweatt Center for Black Males say that midway through their Zoom video conference, several unknown names appeared and started shouting racial slurs. In a video taken by one of the students in the meeting, individuals could be heard using the n-word. “I’m going to put you all offline,” director Ryan Sutton was heard telling students. “We’ll figure out how we’re going to go forward.” The organization reportedly posted a link to their first Zoom meeting in multiple places online, including Twitter and a newsletter. UT students had recently returned from spring break and started online coursework this week due to the coronavirus pandemic.

UT President Gregory L. Fenves said the school was investigating the incident and called it “reprehensible.” “If the perpetrators are members of the UT community, they will be disciplined,” Fenves wrote in a tweet. “We will also increase online security for all UT staff to prevent similar incidents.”