Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia is set to review past racist photos that have been making the rounds on social media. The photos, which show students in blackface, were published in the school’s yearbooks years ago. As a result, Emory is setting up a commission to look into the photos, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Recent events in the national news have generated a growing public interest in the presence of disturbing photos in college yearbooks,” university president, Claire E. Sterk wrote in an email to students and staff. “
It greatly saddens me to report that an initial review of Emory University yearbooks has found photos that are inconsistent with our values.”
Reports indicate the photos are decades old, with most of the photos being published in the 1960s.
Despite the controversy, Emory will not remove their yearbooks from an online website where the photos were first discovered.
“The offensive and racist images in our yearbooks cannot be erased any more than they can be forgotten. They are a permanent part of our record,” Sterk wrote. “Much as I despise what those images represent, I think it is important that Emory’s yearbooks continue to be accessible online. It is my fervent hope that they will serve as an indelible reminder to all current and future Emory students, faculty, and staff of the type of ignorance and hate we must passionately oppose.”
About Emory University
#EmoryUniversityEmory University was founded in 1836. The private research university, located in Atlanta, Georgia, was named after Methodist bishop John Emory. The school includes nine academic divisions: Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford College, Goizueta Business School, Laney Graduate School, School of Law, School of Medicine, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Rollins School of Public Health, and the Candler School of Theology.
Emory is the second-oldest private school in the state of Georgia.
The university has an acceptance rate of 18.5 percent, according to 2018 statistics, and was home to 15,451 students — 8,079 undergraduates and 7.372 postgraduates — in the Fall.