Student Finally Apologizes After N-Word Rant Roils UW-Madison

A Wisconsin college student at the center of a racial controversy involving a video in which she told Black people to “pick…cotton in the fields…until they die” has apologized after her antics sparked university-wide protests.

“To the University of Wisconsin–Madison student body, faculty and community, I sincerely apologize for the harmful actions and comments I made towards African American individuals,” Audrey Godlewski said Monday in an email to the University of Wisconsin–Madison student-run newspaper The Daily Cardinal. “My words were utterly disgusting and unacceptable, whether in public or private. This is completely inexcusable, and I accept full responsibility for the pain and anger that I have caused across campus. Moreover, I know that no words can undo the hurt I have caused throughout the community, and for that I am deeply sorry. I commit myself to further reflection and learning to ensure I do not cause similar hurt in the future. Finally, I would like to apologize to the friends and family in my life that were directly affected by my choices."

The apology comes after nearly a month of protests and demands by Black students for the university administration to acknowledge racial inequities, and after an online petition was launched demanding Godlewski be expelled.

In the video, which went viral at the beginning of May, Godlewski was filmed dropping racial slurs while sitting in a room with friends.

“Fuck you. I’m going to kill myself,” she said. “I hope everyone fucking misses me because I’m going to go back and haunt every fucking little n----- who fucking did me wrong. I literally hate all of them. I’ll make them pick fucking cotton in the fields all day long until they fucking die of thirst. Their bodies are going to dry out because of how much cotton they’re picking for me.”

The speech ended as Godlewski and a friend laughed together. It is unclear what led to the rant or how it ended up online.

Neither Godlewski, her family, nor a friend accused of filming the spiel immediately responded to The Daily Beast’s requests for comments Tuesday. Godlewski graduated from West Salem High School in 2021, according to an online yearbook, and had plans to major in nursing at the UW-Madison.

The video caused widespread furor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Godlewski is a sophomore.

“We will not stand for this nor condone this behavior and we need to take a stand,” UW-Madison student Darius Lassiter wrote in a Change.org petition on May 1. “We need to set an example for the future students to come and for the students who have done the same, but have not been caught.”

As of Tuesday, the petition had more than 65,000 signatures.

UW-Madison Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion LaVar Charleston said in a statement that Godlewski’s “sentiments are not consistent with UW-Madison values.”

“Quite simply, this is not who we are: A few do not speak for the whole,” Charleston wrote May 2. “I, along with the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the entire UW–Madison leadership team, strongly and unequivocally condemn the racist sentiments expressed in this video.

“Hate in all its forms has no place on our campus. We must reject racism and discrimination. At the same time, as a public institution, we are bound by the First Amendment, which protects a person’s right to say very offensive and hateful things. Some have called for the speaker of these racist words to be expelled. Some have called for worse. Simply stated, the law does not allow the university to take punitive action for words like these spoken in private spaces, even when those words are racist and hateful.”

Charleston’s statement seemingly did nothing to quell the frustration of students, and UW-Madison student group BLK PWR Coalition was created within 24 hours of Godlewski’s video gaining traction, The Daily Cardinal reported. The group quickly organized a Black student town hall on May 2 and a series of demonstrations thereafter.

On May 3, hundreds of students staged a sit-in outside UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s office with a list of demands, The Daily Cardinal previously reported. The demands included the expulsion of Godlewski, a public apology from school officials about the harm caused, an acknowledgment from administrators that systemic racism in the academic community has ensuing emotional effects, and more funding for safe spaces and diverse student groups. BLK PWR Coalition also made a push for the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion departments to be re-evaluated, for a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech, and for increased mental health services.

Later that day, students packed into a university hall to discuss the video, with many chastising the school’s response, or lack thereof. According to The Daily Cardinal, students criticized Dean of Students Christina Olstad for appearing to brush off the situation by handing out ice cream coupons at the Black Cultural Center.

In a May 4 letter to the university community, Mnookin addressed BLK PWR Coalition’s demands but claimed the school couldn’t punish Godlewski because her rant was protected by free speech laws.

“I want to again clearly state that I, and my leadership team, strongly and unequivocally condemn racism, including the blatantly racist slurs and sentiments expressed in the video,” she wrote. “[However,] there are numerous legal constraints both on what we can say and what we can do as a public university, even though the video is both hateful and harmful.”

Students Lock Themselves Inside Building to Protest College’s Diversity Scandal

The BLK PWR Coalition met again with university administrators and also brought up the racist incident during the school’s graduation ceremony, The Daily Cardinal reported.

In a statement shared with The Daily Beast, the Coalition addressed Godlewski’s apology and “white supremacist remarks.”

“Although The Coalition is glad that she recognizes the harm that she caused our community, we are disappointed that she didn’t directly apologize to us — the BLK PWR Coalition, and UW-Madison’s Black population,” the group wrote. “Instead, she chose to release her apology to campus media before consulting with the people whom her comments directly impacted. The Coalition knows that white supremacy is bigger than her comments; What she ignited is the foundation on which this university stands.

“We hope that she and all white students, faculty, staff, and administrators rid themselves of white supremacist ideologies and microaggressions. We hope that they join Black students as we continue to demand and conjure systematic change for ourselves and future generations.”

The University of Wisconsin-Madison did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s requests for comment Tuesday.

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