White FSU student refers to Black students as 'chimps' in social media post

An honors student  at Florida State University, Owen Howard, referred to Black students at the university as “chimps”.  Howard uploaded a Snapchat photo to a university wide class of 2026 Snapchat story that showed dozens of students lined up outside the FSU Black Student Union with the caption, “Chimps are going to chimp out.”

The offensive post was quickly flagged by numerous students, who also reported Howard to the FSU Report Website and emailed the Honors Program. In response, Howard attempted to downplay the incident by claiming on the same Snapchat story that his post was "meant as a joke" and that he was "sorry y’all didn’t get it."

However, the situation escalated when students began to investigate Howard's background and discovered his X account, which was filled with offensive "memes" targeting various ethnic groups, including Haitians, the LGBTQ community, and Jewish people. These posts utilized wildly offensive stereotypes, raising serious concerns about Howard's attitudes and behavior.

The FSU NAACP chapter has issued a strong statement, calling the term "chimp" practically offensive due to its historical use to equate Black people to apes or other primates, with the intent to strip Black individuals of their humanity and portray them as inferior. The chapter has called for an immediate formal investigation into the incident, demanding transparency, appropriate disciplinary measures against Howard within the scope of FSU’s Code of Conduct policy, mandatory campus-wide education on discrimination, and a reaffirmation of FSU’s commitment to protecting marginalized communities. 

As the university community grapples with the fallout from Howard's actions, FSU is under pressure to address the issue promptly and effectively, ensuring that its values of inclusivity and respect for all students are upheld.