A video of two girls using a racial slur, one a Coastal Carolina University student and the other the daughter of a school board member, has gone viral, prompting widespread outrage in the community around the South Carolina school.
Nursing student Josie Hobbs and high schooler Ashlyn Haskett filmed themselves saying the N-word as they hung out with a group of friends. The ten-second clip shows Haskett, the daughter of a Pickens County school board member, pressuring Hobbs to “say it,” which she did many times. Another girl responded, “I don’t want to.”
On April 28, the now-deleted video was posted to Facebook and quickly racked up more than one million views. Before it disappeared, South Carolina House District candidate Derrick Quarles shared the clip on Instagram and explained that the girls created the video as an act of targeted bullying of a person of color.
“Josie and Ashlyn decided to maliciously send this video to a biracial student who attends Pickens High School,” Quarles wrote in an Instagram caption. “The intention behind the video was to hurt and harm the bi-racial student as well as encourage others to inflict the same pain over and over again.”
Quarles asked, “Should Shannon [Haskett] be on a school board making decisions if he is obviously biased to one human race?”
In response, Pickens County School District issued a statement on April 18 in which Shannon Haskett stated that he and his wife “do not condone this type of language” and promise to make “meaningful amends,” according to The Post and Courier. However, it remains unclear what action or corrective measures district officials would take or even consider.
Likewise, Coastal Carolina University released a statement that was equally vague. The University, located just outside of Myrtle Beach, acknowledged “alleged violations of the Code of Student Conduct,” but did not address potential consequences for the student or provide further details, citing privacy concerns.
Atlanta Black Star has reached out for comment, but did not hear back before this article was published.
Many students find the video particularly upsetting, especially in light of other racially tense incidents. In 2021, the university came under fire after a visiting drama professor wrote a list of “non-white” students on a whiteboard after a conversation with a Black student. The list wasn’t erased, prompting class boycotts and protests. The professor was fired, but later reinstated after a review. And in 2019, a video went viral showing a student’s racist rant about an interracial couple sitting at a bar.
Groups such as the Black Student Association and the Social Justice Club are stepping into the spotlight and speaking out. The Social Justice Club stated that the incident highlights ongoing “larger issues” on the predominantly white campus and proposed a four-point action plan calling for a “thorough review” of the incident and improved transparency in addressing campus racism.
The Black Student Association (BSA) also released a statement condemning the use of the n-word and urging the CCU to take action.
“The university has a responsibility to ensure that ALL students are able to learn and exist in an environment that is safe, respectful, and inclusive. Anything less is failure to uphold that responsibility,” the BSA said.
Some faculty members are also showing their support. “In moments like these, it takes tremendous strength to speak out,” wrote Assistant Professor Tiffany Hollis in an April 28 Facebook post. “I am especially encouraged by their commitment to ensuring that this moment does not remain isolated, but instead becomes an opportunity for reflection, education, and meaningful institutional action.”
