Students joke about reinstating slavery, sending black people ‘back to Africa’
A Michigan high school had to discipline students this week for circulating a racist video
Students joked about reinstating slavery, branding black people, or sending them “back to Africa”
This isn’t the first time the school’s students have posted racist comments online A video circulated among students showed some joking about reinstating slavery, branding black people, or sending them “back to Africa.”
A video circulated among students showed some joking about reinstating slavery, branding black people, or sending them “back to Africa.” Umdet Wikipedia
Grosse Pointe students under fire for racist video WXYZ - Detroit, MI
In the video posted over Memorial Day weekend, several Michigan high school students joke about what they would do if they became president in 2040. But none of their suggestions are a joking matter.
One talks about branding and killing black people, while another says he would reinstate slavery, according to WDIV. Another said they should send black people “back to Africa,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
The video outraged the Grosse Pointe, Michigan, area community where the students are from — not least because it’s happened before.
South High School Principal Moussa Hamka emailed students, parents and staff Wednesday condemning the video, which showed several students making “offensive, racist statements regarding African-Americans,” he wrote, according to the Free Press.
The video, which included three students from South High School, was “deplorable,” the principal said.
"Immediately after being made aware of the situation, South administration began contacting students and families [and] making appropriate decisions regarding consequences for those involved, including student separations from school," he wrote, according to the Free Press. Most students "do not accept and will not tolerate such bigotry,” he added.
The video circulated over the holiday weekend among students in the mostly white Grosse Pointe School District, according to the Free Press.
High school senior Melba Dearing, who is black, told the Free Press the video was distressing.
“They looked like they were drunk, but that's no excuse,” she told the paper. “We just had an incident a few months ago, and we have all these things still happening. But I'm happy our principal addressed it.”
This isn’t the first time Grosse Pointe South High School students have been disciplined for racist comments. In March, four white students were suspended for a week when a photo of them on Twitter showed three with the n-word written on their stomachs at a party, according to the Free Press.