Three Ole Miss Students Suspended From Fraternity for Offensive Photograph

Three White male students at the University of Mississippi were suspended from the Kappa Alpha fraternity after it was revealed that they posted an offensive photograph on social media. The photograph showed the three students armed with guns and smiling in front of a historical marker designating where the body of Emmett Till was found in 1955. The sign was riddled with bullet holes.

The university call the photograph “offensive and hurtful” but took no action to suspend or expel the students, citing free speech concerns. The matter was referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation but no action was taken because the photograph posed no specific threat to public safety.

Emmett Till was a teenager from Chicago who spent the summer of 1955 with relatives in Mississippi. Till was accused of whistling at a White women. For this alleged violation of the unwritten laws of Jim Crow, Till was brutally murdered and his death became a lightening rod for the civil rights movement when a photograph of his beaten and bloated body was published in Jet magazine. A trial with an all-White jury acquitted two White men of Till’s murder. The men later boasted in an interview with Look magazine that they had committed the murder.

Related Articles

1 COMMENT

  1. It really sad to know Universities tolerate such racist behavior but will suspend black students for much less. Our president has set a tone that racist behavior is okay and he supports it. We need to get out an vote for our lives!!

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs