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By Marni Rose McFall
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A viral video showing an alleged incident of racist behaviour at the University of Mississippi has sparked an investigation.
The video, posted by student Jakiyra Metcalf, is doorbell-camera footage that appears to show three young women making monkey noises.
Newsweek was unable to reach Metcalf for comment before publication.
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The clip, time-stamped on November 6, 2026, at approximately 8:37 p.m., shows three women. The first appears to beat her chest and make monkey noises; the second also appears to make monkey noises, while a third woman walks past.
The video has the text overlay “ole miss??” and has the caption “what do we have to say about this??”
It has been viewed 12 million times as of reporting, and sparked outrage online.
On Sunday, a statement from the Vice-Chancellor, Shawnboda Mead, was released. “The incident is being actively investigated,” the statement read.
It said the video showed students “engaging in racist gestures directed toward other students.”
When reached for comment, the University of Mississippi referred Newsweek to the statement issued on Sunday.
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University of Mississippi Launches Investigation
Mead said in the statement released on Sunday, “The behavior depicted in this video is deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable. We condemn the behavior as it does not reflect our university's values or the kind of community we strive to be every day.”
The statement confirmed that university staff had reached out to students “directly impacted” by the incident to offer support.
The identities of the individuals shown in the video have not been independently verified by Newsweek. People alleged on social media to be involved in the incident were contacted but had not responded at the time of publication.
Mead encouraged people to be "thoughtful" about information shared online and said one student had been incorrectly identified as being involved.
“Sharing unverified information can cause additional harm to people who had nothing to do with what occurred,” the statement continued.
Tasha Bolton, who identified herself as the mother of one of the students living in the apartment, shared the video on Facebook and called for answers from the university.
“My daughter sent me this video from her Ring camera at her apartment. She’s a freshman at the University of Mississippi. She has 2 Black roommates. The girls on the video live upstairs from them,” Bolton wrote.
She added that they specifically want answers on “what steps will be taken to address this behavior.”
Video Circulates Amid High Tensions in Mississippi
The viral video comes amid escalating tensions over racism in Mississippi, as there have been a series of deaths of young Black people in the state, concerns over which have echoed, given Mississippi’s history of lynchings and racial violence.
There have been multiple instances of police finding bodies hanging from trees.
In September 2025, the bodies of a Black man, Trey Reed, and a white man were discovered on the same day. Both deaths were ruled suicides, but Reed's mother disputes those findings.
In September 2026, a Mississippi detective testified that the hanging death of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman whose body was found suspended from a tree in Jackson in August, was a "staged" incident that was tied to a drug dispute.
In July, 18-year-old Nolan Wells disappeared during a boating trip to Horn Island, a barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi coast.
Questions have been raised over his death, which has gained national attention, and there is a push for Justice Department involvement.
More than 60,000 people have signed a petition requesting an independent investigation into the conduct of the Mississippi Chief Medical Examiner, Dr Staci Turner, following criticism of the handling of cases that involved people of color.
This has in turn prompted attention from lawmakers and public figures.
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat, has called for the Department of Justice to investigate what she described in a public letter as “possible modern-day lynchings,” and specifically highlighted deaths in Mississippi.
In August, the content creator Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, shared a video to Instagram in which she said, “Please listen to the Black community. Black people don’t hang themselves from trees,” in a video viewed more than 15 million times.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Rhian Morgan.
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