KU sorority leaders step down after video surfaces of racist remarks against Asians
by: KSNT-TV
Posted: Sep 15, 2020 / 02:18 PM CDT / Updated: Sep 15, 2020 / 02:19 PM CDT
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Two leaders of a sorority at the University of Kansas have stepped down from their positions after a video surfaced revealing the two using racist language against people of Asian descent.
The video came out on the Strip Your Letters Instagram handle, a group that works to make Greek life safer for women of all races and backgrounds.
The recording is from February 2020.
This is a different kind of submission we received from several sources throughout the day. What you read as you scroll is the transcript of the video at the end which consists of several influential KU Kappa Delta members (including the president). This video was recorded prior to lockdown, but around the time the US started to hear about the looming pandemic. The discussion may have been behind a closed door, but this language and rhetoric is NEVER acceptable, especially not from chapter leaders who vow to stand with and for every one of their women, those of Asian heritage included. These ideas, actions and words only fuel anti-Asian racism and stereotypes, especially in context to COVID. We can't stand for this in our community. We would also like to state that SYL has reached out to PHA, SFL staff, chapter advisors, nationals, and standards with the video attached. #stripyourletters
A post shared by Challenging PHA To Do Better (@stripyourletters) on Sep 11, 2020 at 4:37pm PDT
In the video, Kappa Delta President Jackie Hitt and Vice President of Membership Maddie Hissong can be heard sharing explicit remarks about people from China.
"What if she came from f***ing Beijing?," Hissong said in the video. "I don't know where the f*** she just came from, but I'm nervous as sh**. I'm nervous as sh**."
In another moment in the video, Hitt can be heard talking about her dentist.
"My old one was an Asian couple and I mean, they were f***ing with me," Hitt said and continued to impersonate the couple.
Hitt sent out a statement to the chapter announcing her resignation from the position apologizing for what she said in the video.
"I am aware of my responsibility as the leader of my chapter to be a voice of kindness and inclusivity, and I am sorry that I've let my chapter and the Panhellenic and KU communities down," Hitt wrote in her statement.
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