The University of Mississippi is investigating a doorbell-camera video showing two white students making monkey gestures and noises outside an apartment occupied by Black students, according to reporting by The Guardian.

Freshman Jakiyra Metcalf uploaded the Ring surveillance footage from her apartment door to TikTok on Saturday. The clip shows one woman thumping her chest and making monkey-like sounds before a second woman enters the camera’s view and mimics the noises. The video had received nearly 13 million views, The Guardian reported.

Metcalf’s mother, Tasha Bolton, said on Facebook that her daughter lives with two Black roommates and that the women in the video are their upstairs neighbours.

“This is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable,” Bolton wrote Saturday. “College is supposed to be a place where young adults can learn, grow, and feel safe.”

Bolton’s husband, Brooks Bolton, told The Guardian the family was not yet speaking publicly about the incident.

Alaina Kunes, 18, identified in the reporting as one of the women in the video, apologized in a statement released through a Chicago law firm. She maintained that her behaviour was not related to race.

“I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color,” Kunes said. She said she had apologized to the women and intended to cooperate fully with the university’s investigation. Kunes also said she and her family had received death threats and harassment.

In a Sunday statement, university vice-chancellor for student affairs Shawnboda Mead condemned the video, saying racism and actions disparaging people because of their identity have no place on campus.

Mead said the university had contacted the affected students to offer support and hear their concerns. She also urged people not to circulate unverified information about those involved.

The Guardian said a university spokesperson had not answered a Tuesday inquiry about the women’s enrolment status or whether disciplinary action had been taken.

Sources