Facebook A screenshot from the racist video in New York.
A woman went on a vile racist tirade in New York City against a college student, and it was all captured on video. You can watch the video below but be aware that it is very disturbing and contains racial slurs.
The video was posted by Kathryn Graves, 27, a black Yale PhD student. The encounter occurred in New York City on 47th Street and Third Avenue.
The white woman in the video even made ape noises at the student, saying vile comments like, “Obama’s f—ing d–k right next to his ape f—ing wife.” Holding a case of beer, the woman unleashed more racist abuse, calling Graves the N word and saying, “What’s the matter, you got time to do your f—ing pink a– f—ing hair, you n—er Obama f—ing ape.”
It’s but the latest viral video to document black people suffering racist taunts and behaviors during encounters with middle-aged white women. The woman’s identity is not known.
Graves wrote on Instagram, “So this just happened to me…in NYC of all places…for context I was walking down the street with my headphones in and a BLM shirt on, and didn’t even realize she was yelling at me until I stopped my music. I silently recorded up to the very end.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Graves Was Wearing a Black Lives Matter T-Shirt When the Woman Started Yelling at Her
Graves told The New York Post that the incident occurred as she “was walking in Midtown in her Black Lives Matter T-shirt Saturday afternoon,” on June 20. The woman started to yell at her, drawing her attention.
Graves told the Post that she had done nothing at all to provoke the situation and commented, “I kind of blocked off how hurtful the words were and more was just thinking pragmatically.” She’s a psychology student, according to The Post.
Graves wrote on Facebook that the site took down her original video. “What a time — it seems Facebook took down my video from yesterday, which is really quite frustrating bc this person needs…many things,” she wrote.
“She may be homeless, and possibly mentally ill, In which case she needs support. HOWEVER, neither of these causes or excuses racism, and for that reason there needs to be repercussions. She got in my face, and if this happens again, and things escalate, she could harm someone or herself. I’ve been sent a few leads already, please keep them coming if you have any ✌🏽✊🏽”
On Facebook, Graves wrote that she is a “former Undergraduate Research Assistant at Brown University” who studies at Yale University and lives in Connecticut.
“I have never experienced something that was that belligerent and blatant,” Graves told NBC News. “My mindset was, ‘Keep recording and brace yourself in case she gets violent.”
People offered Graves support on her comment thread. “So terribly sorry you had to live through this abuse, sending a virtual hug. Hope the proper course of actions can occur so something like this or worse never happens again to another innocent individual,” wrote one woman.
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