Education
Education

Hazing evoking Klan lasted years after integration at Ga. college

Lori Morton endured Wesleyan College’s racist initiation rituals involving students wearing nooses and hooded robes. Morton said the racist rituals were terrifying and difficult to forget even after she graduated in 1995. ZAK BENNETT / FOR THE AJC
By
Aug 1, 2017

Wesleyan College students used nooses and other racist symbols during initiation rituals for decades after the school was desegregated. A report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that scores of black students faced these hazing rituals that evoked Ku Klux Klan imagery.

The use of nooses at the women's college in Macon came to a head in the early 1990s when a group of black students spoke out about the racist traditions used during the freshman initiation week at the oldest women's college in America.

Lori Morton was in the group of students who found the symbols offensive. She and other former students said these traditions had a lasting impact that stayed with them for years after they graduated.

“I remember being absolutely terrified,” said Morton, a family therapist and minister from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Go to myAJC.com to read the latest story in the college's history of racism and links to the Klan.

About the Author

Brad Schrade is an investigations editor at The AJC.

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