Christian college students expelled over blackface video

A Christian college in Texas expelled at least two students for posting a blackface video to social media, KTVT-TV reported.

A white female from Abilene Christian University was seen in a Snapchat video with her face painted black, saying “I am a strong black woman” and placing oversized fake red lips on her mouth while others are heard laughing in the background, the station said.

ACU President Phil Schubert wrote a letter to the campus community after the clip was seen on social media and said the students were no longer at the university, KTVT reported:

Dear students, parents, faculty and staff,

This morning some disturbing content appeared on various social media channels showing a short video of a white ACU student in blackface. Harassment of any kind is not tolerated at our university, and action is being taken to minimize the spread of this senseless attempt to make fun of others.

Our deputy anti-harassment coordinator and dean of students have met with those involved in the video, and they are no longer students at ACU. I cannot emphasize strongly enough that this kind of hurtful behavior has no place on our campus or on behalf of ACU. Whether on social media or in person, we must hold ourselves to high standards of accountability for what we publish or say.

This has offended me and I am deeply sorry for how it has offended others, and left an inaccurate representation of who we are and what we believe as a Christian university. We must and can do better as we work together to build an inclusive, diverse campus community in which each person is respected and loved.

If you have other concerns, see ACU’s anti-harassment policy, as well as information about how to contact officials in Student Life.