College students took photos in blackface doing the 'Wakanda forever' salute. Their university says they won’t be punished.

• Four Colorado State University students were pictured wearing what appeared to be blackface, with two of them crossing their arms in the shape of the letter X in front of their chests.
• The photo was captioned "Wakanda forevaa" in an apparent reference to the "Wakanda forever" salute from the Marvel film "Black Panther."
• Colorado State University said in a statement that while the image caused others "a great deal of pain," the students wouldn't be punished by the school because social media is out of their jurisdiction.
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A group of white college students pictured wearing what appeared to be blackface and doing the "Wakanda forever" pose from "Black Panther" won't be punished by their university, administrators said in a statement.

The photo, initially posted on Snapchat, showed four Colorado State University students in blackface, with two of them crossing their arms in the shape of the letter X in front of their chests. It was captioned "Wakanda forevaa" in an apparent reference to the "Wakanda forever" salute from the Marvel film "Black Panther.

Colorado State University president Joyce McConnell said in a statement that while the image caused other students "a great deal of pain," the students wouldn't be punished by the school because social media is out of their jurisdiction.

She and other administrators said: "personal social media accounts are not under our jurisdiction," and that students, faculty, and staff "can generally post whatever they wish to post on their personal online accounts in accordance with their First Amendment rights."

The father of one of the students told KDVR that his daughter and her friends had applied dark-colored face masks for the photo.

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"They're just a bunch of kids having fun and not thinking," Las Kaplan told KDVR, adding that his daughter had gotten death threats.

He also released a statement on behalf of his daughter. It said, according to KDVR: "Life lessons may not come from the best situations. My mistakes have hurt others and I deeply regret the pain that my ignorance has caused. The picture was taken after we were experimenting with cosmetic facial masks. I understand how awful this photo looks. The history of blackface is real and cannot be denied. I am sorry. I hope this incident can be used as an opportunity for dialogue and learning."

McConnell said in her university statement that it is important to note how images can affect people.

"We know that images like this one — whether consciously racist or not — can perpetuate deliberate racism and create a climate that feels deeply hostile," she said.

She said the incident can be a "powerful learning moment that leads to healing and reconciliation."

• Read more:
• Comedian Sarah Silverman says she was was fired from a new movie over a blackface photo from 2007
• 1,000 Chicago-area students walked out of school after several white classmates wore blackface in a video
• Photos of Baton Rouge Police Department detectives wearing blackface have surfaced in a 1993 yearbook photo
• A man was spotted walking around the University of Oklahoma's campus in blackface and an 'anti-PC' shirt

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