Illinois students protests racist incident involving White students wearing blackface
Chicago Tribune — Hundreds of students spilled out of Homewood-Flossmoor High
School one day this week to protest the school’s handling of a
blackface incident involving white students.
The energized students, who were joined by dozens of parents and activists in the Tuesday walkout, raised signs and chanted for justice in what many said was their first act of civil disobedience.
The primary complaint aired both by students and parents was what they considered the school’s failure to be transparent and fair in disciplining the four white students who went into the community with their faces painted black and broadcast their exploits, including a trip to McDonald’s, on social media.
School administrators have said that confidentiality laws prevent them from disclosing what actions they plan to take against the students, but said in a statement that their behavior was “being addressed quickly and appropriately and will not be tolerated.”
Black students and parents said they felt the school has long meted out disproportionate punishment for black students and given white students a “slap on the wrist” for similar or more troubling behavior.
As a result, some parents said, they believed white students were growing emboldened to behave badly with impunity and pointed to the blackface incident as an example.
Read more here
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| White students at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Illinois posted blackface photos and videos on social media |
The sea of protesters, which students estimated to include most of the
predominantly black student body of nearly 2,800, marched across the
school’s front lawn and down Kedzie Avenue toward Flossmoor Road before
turning around and staging on the sidewalk outside of a CVS Pharmacy.
The energized students, who were joined by dozens of parents and activists in the Tuesday walkout, raised signs and chanted for justice in what many said was their first act of civil disobedience.
The primary complaint aired both by students and parents was what they considered the school’s failure to be transparent and fair in disciplining the four white students who went into the community with their faces painted black and broadcast their exploits, including a trip to McDonald’s, on social media.
School administrators have said that confidentiality laws prevent them from disclosing what actions they plan to take against the students, but said in a statement that their behavior was “being addressed quickly and appropriately and will not be tolerated.”
Black students and parents said they felt the school has long meted out disproportionate punishment for black students and given white students a “slap on the wrist” for similar or more troubling behavior.
As a result, some parents said, they believed white students were growing emboldened to behave badly with impunity and pointed to the blackface incident as an example.
Read more here
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