Weeks after the video of a UW-Madison student going on a racist rant went viral, the student in question has given an apology for her remarks, according to the university press, The Daily Cardinal. Though, her little “sorry” was not enough for the students who want her expelled.
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“To the University of Wisconsin–Madison student body, faculty and community, I sincerely apologize for the harmful actions and comments I made towards African American individuals. My words were utterly disgusting and unacceptable, whether in public or private,” Audrey Godlewski wrote in an email to The Daily Cardinal.
The Blk Pwr Coalition, a Black-led student organization, responded saying they appreciate the notion but they wished Godlewski apologized directly to the Black students she essentially threatened in the video, the report says. The student was recorded making suicidal remarks and also threatening to make every n-word who did her wrong pick cotton until they die of exhaustion.
Out of the nine demands the organization crafted, including a public apology from Godlewski, it’s unclear which ones have been met by the university.
Read more from Mikwaukee Journal Sentinel:
More than 65,000 people signed an online petition calling for Godlewski’s expulsion after a video surfaced on several social media platforms in early May. The video showed her using racist slurs and saying she wanted to return Black people to slavery and abuse them.
UW-Madison also encouraged students to rise above their anger and respond in a peaceful manner, citing reports about Godlewski receiving threats of violence and harm. The university’s response frustrated many Black students. Hundreds held a sit-in in Bascom Hall, where the Chancellor’s Office is housed, to demand more.
The university responded to the video saying they could not penalize Godlewski for social media posts nor expel her because the awful tirade is unfortunately protected under the First Amendment.
What an uncomfortable position for Black students to be in. Every time these incidents occur on college campuses there is rarely a strategy on how to move forward to foster a safer environment for them.
Those anti-racist slideshows only do but so much.
