COLUMBIA—A former Cardinal Newman student and his parents spoke before a small, diverse gathering to offer their apologies for hurtful, racist videos the teen made in 2019.
The videos showed the student, then 16, using racist language and talking about violence against African-Americans and the school. The teen was arrested by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department for making threats against the school community. He was expelled from Cardinal Newman and is no longer allowed on campus.
On Jan. 27, the teen stood before a small group representing the community and asked for forgiveness.
“I cannot fully express my remorse,” he said. “My actions were inexcusable and not reflective of values instilled in me by Cardinal Newman or my family. I sincerely ask for your forgiveness, though I know I am not entitled to it.”
After the incident in 2019, Cardinal Newman instituted an Office of Diversity and Inclusion, established a parent-led task force, and added curricular components to encourage dialogue and create change surrounding the issue of race on the campus.
