Is Hate Here To Stay?

It seems like it was just yesterday—because it was—that we talked about the students at Belfast High School in Belfast, Maine, rallying together to get their Pride festival started again after two years of a COVID shutdown. I thought they were the future, and then I read these two stories, and realize these students are, sadly, the future, too.

Students at Colerain High School in Cincinnati thought it might be cool to tape “Blacks only" and "Whites only" signs over water fountains and then sharing the pictures across social media because … racism is funny?

The Northwest Local School District announced after the incident was aired by a local news station earlier this month that they would start an investigation.

The learned that the signs over the water fountains were posted for about 30 seconds, while the students responsible took photos, then took the signs down, and posted photos of their handiwork online.

Oh, so it was just a short burst of racism by a bunch of ignorant children, who then blasted their ignorance around the world on the internet. The district released a statement:

"Those who participated in this tasteless and hurtful act have been issued significant disciplinary actions. Any student, including those who are found to have taken part in sharing the post online will also be subject to disciplinary action. The actions that were displayed do not reflect the values and culture of Colerain High School or the Northwest Local School District."

I don’t know if I’d call it “tasteless” and “hurtful,” because what it’s actually Hate Speech.

Meanwhile in Florida, the Martin County School District has launched their own investigation after a photo showing six middle school students spelling out the N-word was posted on social media. The photo was arranged, photographed, and posted to social media by students at Hidden Oaks Middle School in Palm City.

Each student in the photo is holding a letter spelling out a common racial slur aimed at the Black community which the students made in an art class.

In class? Where was the teacher? Did that person know what was planned and do nothing?

The school board was scheduled to hold its regular meetings that day, just hours after the photo was posted and while the photo was not set as a topic that night people still packed the room to voice their opinions to the board.

“It’s racism.”

“I am appalled.” said another woman.

“What is happening is not OK.”

Jimmy Smith, president of the Martin County chapter of the NAACP, was at the meeting:

“I was very heartbroken. We all have made mistakes, but when you get to that degree and that depth to come up with an idea like that, there’s something else going on.”

Many people at the board meeting also noted that it was just a small step from posting that picture racially motivated shooting that killed 10 people in Buffalo over the weekend.

District officials said there is no question the students in the photo will be punished but said the exact punishment would be determined by the outcome of their investigation.

How about kicking them out of school? Or better yet, since this was Florida where the governor doesn’t want white kids feeling bad about racism and slavery and the way this country has treated people of color for hundreds of years, maybe the school should start teaching history … slavery … Jim Crow … lynchings … Civil Rights … and then maybe these dumbass kids won’t think they’re so cute.

And then their parents should gather together and vote out of office every single Republican from the fascist in charge on down out of office, because this is laid directly at the feet of Ron DeSantis.

He doesn’t want white people being made to feel bad by our racist past but he has said nothing about Black people continuing to be hurt by it.

NBC News: Colerain High School

WPBF: Hidden Oaks Middle School