BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) An Alabama university is apologizing after discovering a sorority on the Birmingham campus had T-shirts printed with an image of a black man eating watermelon.
Samford University spokesman Philip Poole said Friday that administrators will conduct a review that could lead to disciplinary action against Alpha Delta Pi sorority. He said the sorority ordered the shirts as keepsakes for its spring formal.
The shirts showed a map of the state of Alabama marked with various images that included the illustration of the black man.
University President Andy Westmoreland said in an email to students and employees: “I was repulsed by the image.”
Alpha Delta Pi’s national headquarters in Atlanta said in a statement: “The shirt design absolutely contradicts the values of respect and dignity that our organization prides itself on.”
