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Two men who were in a video of Sigma Alpha Epsilon members singing a racist chant have apologized for their actions, with one of the now-former fraternity brothers saying he had learned "a devastating lesson."

 of the chant Tuesday, without naming them publicly. The singing happened "as members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon rode in buses to a party at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club to celebrate the fraternity's founding," according to 

The notorious video sparked a large campus rally against racism Monday; on Tuesday, students and others marched to the SAE house in another demonstration.


"We need to move beyond songs," senior Marquis Bell-Ard told the student newspaper, 

, at the demonstration. "Hopefully this leads to larger changes."


Both of the two former SAE members who issued apologies — Parker Rice, 19, and Levi Pettit, 20 — are from Texas; they attended high schools in the Dallas area.


Rice has been identified as one of the leaders of the chant by the 

 and other media outlets; his apology was published via the 

Rice added, "For me, this is a devastating lesson and I am seeking guidance on how I can learn from this and make sure it never happens again. My goal for the long-term is to be a man who has the heart and the courage to reject racism wherever I see or experience it in the future."


Pettit's parents issued an apology on behalf of their entire family in a 

. They said their son "made a horrible mistake, and will live with the consequences forever."


The Pettits wrote, "Our family has the responsibility to apologize, and also to seek forgiveness and reconciliation."


The separate apologies came on the same day that members of the disbanded fraternity chapter removed the last of their belongings from the house, which is now back under the university's direct control. The fraternity was closed by the national SAE organization Monday, when the school also cut its ties to the organization.  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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One of the now-former fraternity brothers said he had learned "a devastating lesson."

2 Oklahoma students seen in racist fraternity video apologize

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