UAB Employee Sends Racist, Anti-Obama E-Mail

An employee at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) used her work computer to send a racist e-mail that mocks President Barack Obama and other prominent Democrats.

The e-mail's content is a crude take-off on the classic poem "The Night Before Christmas," and its transmission using state-owned equipment is a clear violation of UAB's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). It remains unclear if the university has taken any disciplinary action in the matter.

The racist poem, which is available in different versions on the Internet, begins:

Wus da night afo' Crizzmus
And all thru da hood
Everybody be sleepin'
And da sleepin' be good

We hunged up our stockins
An hoped like all heck
Dat dear Ol' Obama's
Gunna brang us our checks

The poem goes on to make references to a "hoe," a "watermelon," "eight big-ass rats," and fake gold to "wear roun my neck."

The poem also makes negative references to Jesse Jackson, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and other prominent Democrats.

Legal Schnauzer contacted the office of UAB President Carol Garrison and requested an interview about the misuse of state-owned computers. Garrison has not responded to our request.

A source tells Legal Schnauzer that UAB officials were notified of the anti-Obama e-mail in early January. Does the university take it seriously when an employee uses state equipment to send a racist message? It's hard to tell.

We do know that the woman who sent the e-mail still works at UAB. Her name is Ashla Jana' Campbell, and she works as a financial associate in the Department of Pediatrics. I called Campbell yesterday morning, and when she realized the nature of my call, she hung up.

I left an after-hours voice message for her, making sure she had an opportunity to offer a comment or explanation. I've received no reply.

Examples of violations under UAB's Acceptable Use Policy include "creating, displaying, or transmitting threatening, racist, sexist, or harassing language and/or materials."

University computer and network resources may not be used for activities that "compromise the character and reputation of UAB by association."

This is the second time in less than two months that public reports have shown UAB employees violating the university's computer-use policy, with apparently little or no consequences.

In the first instance, an employee in UAB's Department of Physiology and Biophysics used her work computer to send an anti-gay e-mail to a California organization. Greg Privett, of WHNT in Huntsville, reported on that incident, and UAB spokesperson Dale Turnbough said the university had "handled" the matter. She did not say whether the employee, Pamala Gibson, had been disciplined in any way.

Here is the anti-Obama poem, in its entirety. The version we received at Legal Schnauzer was sent on December 16, 2008, at 11:55:11 a.m. (Language alert; this is pretty vile stuff):

Night Befo Crizzmus

Wus da night afo' Crizzmus
And all thru da hood
Everybody be sleepin'
And da sleepin' be good

We hunged up our stockins
An hoped like all heck
Dat dear Ol' Obama's
Gunna brang us our checks

All of da family
Was ly'in on the flo'
My sister wif her gurlfriend
And my brother wif some hoe

Ashtrays was all full
Empty beer cans and all
When I heared such a fuss
I thunk . . . "Sh'eet, it must be da law"

I pulled the sheet off da windoe
And what I'z e could see
I was spectin' the sherrif
Wif a warrent fo' me

But what did I see
Made me say, "Laaawd look at dat"
Dere was a huge watermelon
Pulled by 8 big-ass rats.

Now over all of da years
Santy Claws he be white
But it looks like us brotha's
Got a black un' tonight

Faster than a poe'lice car
My homeboy he came
And whupped up on dem rats
As he called dem by name

On Biden, On Jessie, On Polosi and Hillary Who
On Fannie, On Freddi, On Ayers, and Slick Willy too

Obama landed dat melon
Right there in da street
I knowed it fo' sho'
Can you believe that Sh'eet!

Dat Santy didn't need no chimney
He picked da lock on my doe
An I sez to myself
"Son o' bitch . . . he don did dis befoe"!

He had a big bag
Full of presents I suspeck
Wif "Air Jordans" and fake gold
To wear roun my neck

But he left me no presents
Just started stealin my shit
He got my guns and my crack
And my new burglar's kit

Den, wif my crap in his bag
Out da windoe he flew
I sho' woulda shanked him
But he snagged my knife too.

He jumped back on dat melon
Wif out even a hitch
And waz gone in two seconds
"Democrat son of a bitch"

So nex year I be hopin'
A white Santy we git
'Cause a black Santy Claws
Just ain't worf a shit!


Ashla Jana' Campbell

Financial Associate

Pediatrics Chair Office

PH (205) 996-9679

FAX (205) 934-1150

janac@peds.uab.edu

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Ambulatory Care Center
1600 7th Avenue South
ACC 608
Birmingham AL 35294-0011

At the end of the e-mail are these words: "Merry Christmas"