A viral video from the University of Mississippi, commonly known as Ole Miss, has sparked a racism controversy after two white female students were caught on a doorbell camera making monkey-like noises and gestures outside an apartment occupied by Black students. The incident has triggered a university investigation, public apologies and calls for disciplinary action.
The controversy began on November 6, when a ring doorbell camera outside an apartment in Oxford, Mississippi, recorded three white women walking past the entrance. Two of them appeared to beat their chests and make monkey-like noises and gestures while looking towards the camera. The footage was shared on TikTok by Jakiyra Metcalf, a Black freshman at Ole Miss who lives in the apartment with two other Black students, Victoria Johnson and Kaiyden Caldwell. The 13-second clip quickly went viral, attracting more than 13 million views and widespread criticism.
Metcalf and her roommates said they went outside to confront the women after watching the footage. According to the students, one of the women, identified as 18-year-old Alaina Kunes, apologized. She reportedly explained that the women had been making similar noises and gestures outside other apartment doors. However, the roommates said the second woman (Lauren Mayfield) continued making the gestures even as Kunes already said sorry "She continued to make the gestures after the girl was apologizing," Johnson told CBS News. "It was like a slap in the face." The students said the behaviour was hurtful regardless of whether the women knew they were Black.
Kunes issued a public apology on November 10 through a statement released by her representative. "To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize," she said. Kunes claimed she had never met the women involved before November 6 and was unaware of their race. She acknowledged that her actions were insensitive, inappropriate and deeply harmful. "I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color," she said. She also said she had apologized directly to the women and intended to cooperate fully with the university's investigation. Kunes voluntarily withdrew from the university.
The University of Mississippi condemned the behaviour and launched an investigation through its Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead described the behaviour as deeply troubling, hurtful and unacceptable. The university said it had contacted the students affected by the incident to offer support and connect them with available resources. Officials also cautioned against spreading unverified information, saying at least one student had been wrongly identified online. The university said no members of its sorority community were involved.
The controversy has revived discussions about the University of Mississippi's history of racial discrimination. Ole Miss was at the centre of a major civil rights confrontation in 1962 when James Meredith became its first Black student. His admission triggered violent riots after Mississippi authorities and segregationists attempted to prevent him from enrolling. The latest incident has prompted Black students and their parents to question whether the university is doing enough to ensure that students from different racial backgrounds feel safe and welcome.
Demetrick Stringer Jr., president of the university's Black Student Union, called for accountability, support for the affected students and stronger efforts to educate newcomers about the university's commitment to respecting every individual. The three students targeted in the latest incident have said they intend to remain at Ole Miss.
The incident took a new turn with a fundraiser for Lauren Mayfield going viral. Lauren is not one of the victims but she is the woman who did not apologize and many on Internet think she is right. And that's why a fundraiser for her on Givesendgo is going viral. "She did nothing wrong. She did not assault anyone. She did not break any law. She made noises in a public walkway. The rest is a campus bureaucracy and online mob treating a juvenile stunt as a hate crime because the residents were black. The same institutions that excuse actual violence, riots, and anti-White rhetoric when the identities flip are now treating this as grounds for expulsion, doxxing, death threats, and career destruction," the fundraiser said.
