Man Who Proclaimed 'I Am A Racist,' Used N-Word Resigns From University Advisory Board
A Pennsylvania man has stepped down from his position on a university advisory board after being caught on camera hurling racial slurs during a confrontation.
Penn State York announced Tuesday that Jonathan Spanos was “no longer a member of the Penn State York Advisory Board” after his bigoted roadside rant went viral.
Footage of Spanos spewing hateful rhetoric at two unidentified people was posted on X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend. He can be heard loudlyshouting the N-word multiple times during his tirade.
The person recording can then be heard saying, “You said the N-word on camera, that’s gonna be great for you.”
Spanos doubles down, saying, “I am a racist.”
He then alleges that one of targets of his vitriol “popped” the “finger,” which may have been what sparked his rant.
Penn State York confirmed to HuffPost in an email that Spanos had resigned from his position on the board.
“This hateful language has no place in our community and is not reflective of the University’s values or our desire to foster an inclusive environment,” spokeswoman Lisa Powers said in an email.
On Monday, Jamiel Alexander, President of the York County Branch of the NAACP, said in a statementthat the organization was “deeply troubled” by the incident.
“Such behavior is malicious and stands in stark contrast to the values of equality and respect that our community strives to uphold,” he said.
Three days after the incident, Spanos held a press conference where he apologized for his rant.
“I am humiliated and embarrassed by my behavior, the community that I have served for over 25 years, the state and government, and people deserve better from me,” he said in his apology.
He referred to the incident as a “heated family confrontation” and also claimed that when he proclaimed himself a racist, he was doing so “sarcastically.”
