Smith College launches outside probe after employee calls police on black student at lunch

Smith College launches outside probe after employee calls police on black student at lunch

NORTHAMPTON — Smith College is hiring an outside investigator to review an incident Tuesday in which a college employee called police because a black student sitting in a common area “seemed to be out of place,” college President Kathleen McCartney said Thursday.

“This painful incident reminds us of the ongoing legacy of racism and bias in which people of color are targeted while simply going about the business of their daily lives,” McCartney wrote in letter to students, staff and faculty. “It is a powerful reminder that building an inclusive, diverse and sustainable community is urgent and ongoing work.”

Oumou Kanoute, a teaching assistant and residential adviser for Smith, was on her lunch break in a Smith dining area Tuesday when an unarmed campus police officer arrived and asked what she was doing.

“It’s outrageous that some people question my being at Smith College, and my existence overall as a women of color,” Kanoute wrote Tuesday in a Facebook post, which includes video of her exchange with the officer. “I did nothing wrong, I wasn’t making any noise or bothering anyone. All I did was be black.”