A Facebook group called “White Nation,” which featured a graphic of a black infant in handcuffs and the caption, “Arrest black babies before they become criminals,” has sparked outrage on the campus of the University of Southern California, the student newspaper, the Daily Trojan, reported.
Clay Matthews, the football player who created the group, later said he had no racist intent and apologized for an error in judgment.
The controversial group was brought into the limelight by another student, Stefanie Gopaul, a freshman majoring in psychology. Ms. Gopaul created a rival group called “Clay Matthews (USC football player) expresses anti-black sentiment.” She said she believed the explanation that the “White Nation” group was intended as an inside joke among athletes, but still thought its content was inappropriate.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at the University of Michigan at Flint have written a letter of apology and say they will investigate chapter members who ran an online group that was perceived as racist, a local newspaper, The Flint Journal, reported.
The controversial site, “2nd Floor UCEN, We’re Takin’ It Back,” called on people to “take back” the second floor of the campus’s University Center. A cultural lounge there is a popular gathering place for black students. While several students told the newspaper that they disregarded the comments, others said they were offended by negative stereotypes used on the site.
The site was apparently posted in the fall but taken down within the past month. The fraternity’s apology is scheduled to appear in the student newspaper, The Michigan Times, today.
