LOUISVILLE, Ky. ―The University of Louisville apologized to the school’s entire Hispanic community Thursday after a photo surfaced showing President James Ramsey among a group of staffers at a Halloween party dressed in matching stereotypical Mexican costumes.
They wore bushy mustaches and sombreros and rattled maracas as they posed for the photo.
Ramsey’s chief of staff, Kathleen Smith, issued a statement expressing “deep regret” over the incident.
“We made a mistake and are very sorry,” she wrote, adding that the university pledges to train staff and engage with the campus over diversity and racial equality issues. “This event shows we have much more to learn about our community.”
The photo was taken on Wednesday afternoon, at an annual Halloween luncheon for Ramsey and members of his staff at a mansion owned by the university, said spokesman John R. Karman. Ramsey is seen smiling and leaning on a porch railing, wearing a sombrero and a rainbow-striped poncho trimmed in fringe.
He is surrounded by people clad mostly in black clothing with fake mustaches and beards stuck to their faces. Most have sombreros on their heads and maracas in their hands.
The photo began making the rounds on social media Thursday, sparking outrage and bewilderment.
