Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican from Georgia, has partially retracted his commendation for a contentious incident on the University of Mississippi campus involving racially charged behavior. Amid a protest decrying the Israel-Hamas conflict, a video surfaced showing a white man making monkey noises and gestures towards a Black student demonstrator. Originally, Collins lauded the response of students against the "pro-Hamas, anti-American" protestors but failed to directly address the racist actions exhibited in the protest.
Following significant backlash, Collins took to social media platform X to clarify his stance. "If that person is found to have treated another human being improperly because of their race, they should be punished appropriately, and will hopefully seek forgiveness," Collins wrote, according to WABE. The congressman's change in tone came after a national fraternity disavowed one of its members for "racist actions" at the demonstration and terminated his membership. However, the fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, did not disclose the identity of the individual accused of making the racist gestures.
Moreover, the national NAACP president and CEO, Derrick Johnson, condemned Collins' initial post in strong terms. In a message on X, Johnson stated, "A Black Woman was victim to pandering, racist remarks and gestures, and hateful speech with the hope of breeding fear, isolation, and retreat," as reported by WABE. The incident has since prompted a single "student conduct investigation," according to University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce, who also expressed that those who make offensive remarks due to a person's identity would not find solace at the institution.
According to a report by WABE, the university scene became contentious as hecklers vastly outnumbered the roughly 30 pro-Palestine protesters. Videos and photos from the protest depicted the group chanting "Free, free Palestine" and holding up signs with slogans like "Stop the Genocide" and "U.S. bombs take Palestine lives" near the university's main library. Despite the tensions, no arrests were made at the university protest, contrasting with the more than 2,400 arrests that occurred nationwide since April 17 on campuses during similar demonstrations.
The problematic episode at Ole Miss surfaces amidst a complex nationwide debate surrounding freedom of speech and racism on college campuses. Student journalist Stacey J. Spiehler captured the confrontation on video, which later spurred the fraternity's action and the congressman's modified message. According to the most recent data on the school's website, the University of Mississippi's student population was approximately 76% white and 11% Black for the academic year 2022-2023. The higher education community continues to grapple with how to effectively balance the right to protest with maintaining a campus environment free of hate and discrimination.
