'She's Just Degrading Herself': Mother Of Alabama Student Speaks On Racist Videos Controversy
Source: Twitter
UPDATE: Harley Barber's mother, Jill Barbera, has spoken out on the controversy surrounding her daughter's racist rants.
Speaking to NJ.com, Barbera said she agreed with the University of Alabama's decision to expel her daughter.
"This is not a reflection of how she was raised," Barbera said. "She's just degrading herself and it breaks my heart. I hope someone can look at this and learn. I don't want anyone to feel what I feel."
Read the original story below.
Harley Barber, the University of Alabama student whose racist Instagram rants circulated across social media earlier this week, is no longer enrolled at the college.
READ: 'I Don't Care If It's MLK Day, Ni**er': University Of Alabama Investigates Student's Racist Videos
UA President Stuart Bell issued the following statement, which was shared to the university's Twitter account:
In light of the racist and disturbing videos posted by one of our students on social media, I want to express my personal disgust and disappointment.Like many of you, I find the videos highly offensive and deeply hurtful, not only to our students and our entire University community, but to everyone who viewed them. The actions of this student do not represent the larger student body or the values of our University, and she is no longer enrolled here.
We hold our students to much higher standards, and we apologize to everyone who has seen the videos and been hurt by this hateful, ignorant and offensive behavior. This is not who we are; it is unacceptable and unwelcome here at UA. These types of incidents affect community members differently. If you have been impacted and would like additional support, please access resources here that are available to you on our campus.
Over the last year, I have had conversations with many of you who shared your UA experiences with me. You have voiced your pride in the progress we have made, but we still have much work to do. I want to thank all of the students, faculty and staff who met today to have conversations about this event and the steps we can take, individually and collectively, to create a more welcoming and inclusive campus. You have my commitment and the commitment of our leadership team to sustain progress and address directly any issues that arise.
I know you join me in taking a stand against this and all reprehensible behavior. As members of this community, we are a family and this is our home. Everyone has a right to feel safe and welcome here.
Upon being kicked out of the school as well as being removed from the Alpha Phi sorority for the videos, Barber spoke with the New York Post where she confirmed she would be returning to her home in New Jersey.
"I feel horrible," Barber said. "I feel so, so bad and I am so sorry."
"I did something really, really bad. I don't know what to do and I feel horrible," she added. "I'm wrong and there's just no excuse for what I did."