Jesse Williams

There are several updates to yesterday’s story about the leaked video of OU Sigma Alpha Espsilon members chanting a horribly offensive racist song. OU President David Boren shut down the frat house and expelled two students, who were the “ringleaders” of this scandal. Boren says these students can contact OU’s Equal Opportunity Office if they wish to appeal their expulsion. We also talked about Waka Flocka Flame, who was scheduled to perform for SAE next month. The rapper cancelled his performance, saying he was “disgusted and disappointed” in the brothers’ actions. Let’s update with bulletpoints.

* Us Weekly published an additional statement from the Waka Flocka’s management, who wishes to emphasize that he is not punishing the university: “Let our decision weld a platform of conversation rather than raise the brows of anger among those who share our distaste and disgust from such a video. This was not a disciplinary action on the innocent students, nor among the guilty that share such wayward thoughts, but a collective reminder of the stain in which remains.

* CBS News spoke with the SAE house mom, 78-year-old Beauton Gilbow. She claimed to be shocked at the leaked video: “I heard the words. Unbelievable … This is not SAE.” Then a new video surfaced, which shows Gilbow “rapping” the n-word too.

* CBS also interviewed the fraternity’s black chef, Howard Dixon, who is now unemployed. He cooked for SAE for 14 years and “considers the students his family even though he is ‘shocked’ by their remarks.” Alumni raised over $34,000 for Dixon.

* One of the expelled students, Parker Rice, issued an apology via People, which reads (in part), “I am deeply sorry for what I did Saturday night. It was wrong and reckless. I made a horrible mistake by joining into the singing and encouraging others to do the same. On Monday, I withdrew from the University and sadly, at this moment our family is not able to be in our home because of threatening calls as well as frightening talk on social media.” Parker says he was drunk, and “the song was taught to us.

* Jesse Williams (who has previously spoken at length on on institutional racism) tweeted about the SAE video. He starts off by linking the SAE chant lyrics to the death of a Haitian American student during hazing by the SAE Cornell chapter and goes from there:

“Hang ’em from a tree” is proud celebration of the devastating kidnap, torture & murder of Americans by actual terrorists, for fun. #SAE

— jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) March 10, 2015

#Tradition just means it’s happened for awhile. #Tradition is not a reason, it’s a pattern. Reason is your job. #Traditions kill everyday.

— jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) March 10, 2015

#NotJustSAE is highlighting the pervasiveness of anti-black & brown activities on today’s college campuses. #GoToThere #CultureOfDestruction

— jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) March 11, 2015

Jesse’s first tweet references the death of George Desdunes, a Haitian Cornell student, in 2011. He pledged SAE and was found dead after a hazing ritual. Desdunes was tied up, forced to take several shots of alcohol, and left for dead. This NYT article talks about the coverup of George Desdunes’ death. As always, Jesse cuts straight to the truth of the matter, and he doesn’t want us to forget that the SAE fraternity has a damning history. This racist chant didn’t spring out of nowhere — it’s an institutional problem that must be dealt with before another tragedy happens.

Jesse Williams

Waka Flocka

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN

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