A former University of Mississippi student who had been filmed making monkey noises and gestures at an apartment occupied by three Black female students has issued an apology, saying that she did not know the residents’ race and she never intended to offend anyone.
Alaina Kunes, 18, an Ole Miss freshman then, talked about the incident in a statement sent to WMC, Memphis TV news.
“To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize,” Kunes said. “Before the incident on November 6, I never met the women involved and was unaware of their race; however, I recognize my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful.”
The University on Tuesday confirmed that Kunes is “no longer a student” of the college, per WMC. It is still not clear whether she left the institution voluntarily or she was kicked out. However, school officials noted that due to the federal Student Privacy Act, there is a limited amount of information they could reveal concerning any particular student, and disciplinary actions taken are included in that.
According to the Ring doorbell video, filmed around 8:37 p.m. on a Friday, three white women are passing by the apartment door. The first of them beats her chest and makes monkey sounds while the second walks closer to the door and repeats the sounds. The third one looks into the camera but does not make any sounds, according to an ABC News report.
Identified as the first of the three women, Kunes did not mention the second one, who made monkey gestures. It has not been revealed who the woman is so far.
The comparison of Black people to monkeys and apes is a racist stereotype widely spread in the United States with a deep historical background as a tool of justifying slavery and segregation.
“I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color,” Kunes said. “I have apologized to the women and I pray they will forgive me. I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them, and it was never my intention. These girls deserve to feel seen and understood, and what I did is not a reflection of who I am trying to become.”
One of the residents in the apartment, Jakiyra Metcalf, posted the video footage on TikTok, adding Ole Miss and asking how the university would react. By Monday, the video was viewed 12 million times, according to an ABC News report. Metcalf also mentioned that the victims were going to have a meeting with university representatives.
Tasha Bolton, mother of a freshman residing in the apartment with two other Black girls, said that the three women depicted in the video live in the same building but upstairs.
“This is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable,” Bolton wrote on Facebook. She told ABC News, “The video has been shared with university administration, and we want answers.”
According to Bolton, her family is represented by an attorney and is ready to give a statement. She told FOX13 Memphis that two out of three women approached the residents after the video became public and asked them to delete it.
Kunes, in her statement, also said that she and her family had faced death threats since the video was distributed.
“Over the past several days, my family and I have received death threats and harassment. I am grateful for the authorities working to ensure our safety,” she said. “As I intend to cooperate fully with the University’s investigation, I ask for privacy for my family. I understand the seriousness of this situation and remain committed to taking responsibility and learning from this embarrassing ordeal.”
In Kunes’s statement, nothing is specified about the authorities that protect the family.
The university condemned the video on Sunday and stated that the case was under investigation by its Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and its Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance office. In addition, the institution added that the incident happened in off-campus student housing owned by the University and previously confirmed to ABC News that the women in the video were students.
“The university is aware of a video depicting offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable behaviors that conflict with our university values and we condemn them,” the statement said. It also added that the students have already been contacted by the administration to provide them with information and resources.
Shawnboda Mead, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Ole Miss, informed students, faculty and staff members that the behavior of some students was “deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable”.
“Every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued at the University of Mississippi,” Mead said. “Racism and actions that disparage people because of an aspect of their identity have no place in our campus community.”
This is not the first case where such kind of racism becomes a subject of national discussion at Ole Miss. In May 2024, a student was filmed making monkey noises and gestures at a Black girl on campus regarding the Gaza war. It resulted in expulsion from his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, and launched a student conduct investigation at the university. The White House said that this behavior was undignified and racist.
Ole Miss, being the flagship university of the state, was integrated into the education process in 1962 with the admission of James Meredith, who became the victim of a deadly riot. Almost 40 percent of the Mississippi population is Black, whereas only about 11 percent of university students are Black people.
