State Rep. Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville) urged Auburn University to be careful after a document was leaked from a group message allegedly associated with the Auburn University Black Student Union (BSU) in which group message members listed over 250 racial slurs for white people.
The whistleblower sent the document and screenshots of the group message on the popular group messaging app GroupMe to Auburn student Jaden Heard, who leaked the information to Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a conservative campus organization. 1819 News spoke to Heard on Thursday morning.
Some slurs were names like "failed abortions" and "diseased neanderthals." Others, like "bleach demons" and "sugar sardines," were labeled "favorite" in parenthesis.
"Racism is bad," Oliver said. "For one group to be racist toward another group regardless of whether they're black or white is unacceptable. It works two ways. It doesn't work just one way."
Oliver said he believes the first amendment permits us to say most things without legal ramifications, but that doesn't mean everything is appropriate.
"Auburn should be aware that the world is watching," Oliver said. "What's their standard? Are they going to become involved? If these were white kids, what would happen? It should be the same for everybody."
Auburn University issued a statement after TPUSA initially informed them of the group message leaks earlier this month. It said that the university prohibits harassment of its students and employees and is taking the matter very seriously. It also claimed that administrators are considering "appropriate actions" and assured that it will "be treated in the same manner with which any issue of discrimination or harassment is addressed."
Oliver has been an outspoken critic of "divisive concepts" like critical race theory being taught in public schools and even proposed a bill in the last regular session to prevent teachers from bringing CRT into the classroom. The bill has since been rewritten, and Oliver said in December that he expects it to pass when the State Legislature meets again.
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