A group of white students at the University of Mississippi were accused of racism after making monkey noises and gestures toward a black woman.
The incident involved a black woman named Jakiyra, who shared footage captured by her front door camera. The video showed three white women walking past her apartment door, with claims circulating online that they were current students at the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss.
One of the students began making monkey noises toward the camera outside the black woman’s apartment. She also mimicked a monkey’s movements by pretending to pound on her chest.
Another woman joined in, jumping up and down in front of the camera while making similar noises. Jakiyra expressed her disbelief over the incident in the video’s caption, writing, “what do we have to say about this?? #olemiss @Ole Miss.”
After the video gained widespread attention online, Jakiyra revealed in a comment that the women were apparently her neighbors. “We just found out they are our upstairs neighbors,” she wrote. She also said that she would share further updates when more information became available.
What Happened Next
After the video went viral, the three white students were reportedly doxxed online, with their alleged names and social media accounts widely circulated. Claims also emerged that they belonged to a sorority at Ole Miss and had subsequently deactivated their accounts, although these details have not been independently confirmed.
The women faced significant backlash as internet users attempted to identify and contact them. However, the situation also resulted in an innocent woman being mistakenly targeted because she shared the same name as one of the alleged students.
The woman, named Lauren Mayfield, said she woke up to thousands of comments, direct messages, and even death threats from people who had mistaken her for one of the women in the video. Lauren clarified that she had no connection to the incident and that the only thing she shared with the alleged student was her name.
“I do not believe anything she believes. I am 30 years old,” Lauren said. She then added, “I live in Atlanta, Georgia, and I went to Auburn,” to distance herself from the woman in the video. She also updated her social media bio to read “not the lauren from ole miss.” Some commenters subsequently apologized to her for the threats and harassment she had received.
The University of Mississippi has yet to publicly respond to the incident. It remains unclear whether the three women will face disciplinary action. If they are confirmed to be students at the university, they could potentially face consequences. This depends on the findings of any investigation and whether their conduct violated university policies.
Possible disciplinary measures could range from a formal warning to suspension or expulsion, depending on the university’s policies and the circumstances surrounding the incident. If the women are also members of a sorority, they could face additional disciplinary action from their organization. However, there have been no confirmed reports of an investigation or disciplinary measures so far.
Viewers Slam University of Mississippi Students Over Racist Incident
Many viewers online condemned the alleged University of Mississippi students for their racist behavior captured on camera. Some demanded that they face consequences. “They just ruined their life with this one,” one person wrote. Another criticized what they viewed as hypocrisy, commenting, “These are the same people who cheer for black athletes and listen to rap music.”
Others continued criticizing the students, with some claiming they had contacted their family members about the incident. “Messaged the dad, messaged the sister, posted on threads & twitter .. I’ll call on Monday cause [expletive] ‼‼‼‼‼!,” one person wrote. Another predicted that the women would eventually issue public apologies but insisted they would not be accepted. They commented, “their apologies will not be accepted because we know it’s coming.”
For many viewers, the incident served as another example of the racism and discrimination that black people continue to experience in everyday life. The backlash also raised questions about accountability, particularly the responsibility of universities to address racist conduct among their students. This is in addition to the role that family members and friends can play in challenging such behavior.
