A University of Maryland student is getting backlash for posting an Instagram photo of her birthday cake that included a racial slur.
According to screengrabs of the Instagram post, which has since been deleted (along with the account that posted it), the girl in the photograph appeared to be celebrating her 21st birthday. She’s accompanied by a multi-tiered display of cupcakes and alcohol. The text at the bottom of the display reads “suck a n***a dick.”
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While the photo has been taken down, screenshots are being shared through the anonymous sharing app Yik Yak. Many who’ve seen the photo are outraged, with others wondering what the issue was.
“I was so baffled that 77 people liked it and none of those 77 people told her it was inappropriate,” Chandler Perry, who found the photo via Instagram’s Explore tab, told Pulse Feedz.
Some commenters also believe that it may have been an inside joke or referenced the Three Six Mafia song “Suck a N**** Dick.”
Regardless of intent, the Greek community at UMD responded quickly to the Instagram photo’s swift circulation through the Panhellenic circles.
We are aware of an insensitive post from a community member & are addressing it with the chapter as it does not align with our Greek values.
— UMD Greek Terps (@UMD_GreekTerps) December 12, 2014
The UMD chapter of Gamma Delta, the sorority the girl reportedly belongs to, has responded to the photo and called the post “unacceptable.”
“The Fraternity volunteers and staff are working with our chapter at the University of Maryland at this time to hold this member accountable,” the statement read on Facebook.
H/T Brobible | Photo via McKeldin Library and the Mall Fountain/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)