*A former sorority girl at Kansas State University was raked over the Twitter coals today after going on Snapchat in blackface and captioning the pic, “Feels good to finally be a n*gga.”
KSU student Desmund Weathers (@JustDesmund) posted a screenshot of the snapchat early Thursday from Paige Shoemaker, a former member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.
Welcome to Kansas State University. Where breakfast in the morning is some K-State Family with a side of Racism. pic.twitter.com/Vmdkl5g27g
— Des. (@JustDesmund) September 15, 2016
Once Shoemaker was put on blast, it didn’t take long for the identity of the second woman in the pic to be revealed as Sadie Meier. According to Complex, she’s a senior cook with KSU’s Housing and Dining Services.
@JustDesmund don’t forget the girl in the background. Her name is Sadie Meier! She posted a series of similar snaps yesterday too!
— Kiera Brown (@Kay_Lynae) September 15, 2016
Shoemaker has since confirmed she was one of the women in the picture. In a series of text messages to Fusion, she revealed the picture was posted Tuesday night to her public Snapchat story, meaning it could be seen by any of her Snapchat followers. She explained that she was wearing a L’Oreal clay facial mask when the photograph was taken.
“It was sent in a joking manner to our friends,” she said. “I am the least racist and most accepting person you will meet. Never would I send it in a derogatory way.”
In response to the uproar over the photos Thursday morning, Kansas State University’s Vice President for Student Life, Pat Bosco, released a statement denouncing the post:
“I have become aware that one of our students posted a racially offensive photo today on social media and used one of the most derogatory words in the English language. This photo has students, faculty, staff and other members of the K-State family upset. It rightly should, as there is no place for racism at our university, regardless of what the intentions may have been. K-State prides itself on being one family, no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or abilities.”
Though the statement does not address whether Shoemaker has been disciplined for her Snapchat post, Kansas State’s communications department told Fusion that at press time she was still a student at the university, but there is a “process in place.” According to KSU’s online student directory, the listing of Shoemaker as a pre-psychology sophomore appears to have been deleted.
Shoemaker’s former sorority had dismissed her last year, according to Complex. The Director of Communication for the International Office of ZTA said she “was expelled from the organization in spring of 2015 and in no way represents the values of Zeta Tau Alpha.”
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