Having attended many a pep rally
during high school, we remember what took place: the marching band got students
excited. There was a ton of clapping and stomping. Student leaders gave speeches. Cheerleaders waved pom poms. Football players ran around. And then
came the blackface.
Yep, that's how it happened at our high
school. Chanting, clapping, blackface. In that order. Every year. Without fail.
Well, not exactly.
But last Friday at Waverly High School
in New York, students performed a skit while wearing blackface. They trotted out and beat
each other, seeking to recreate a version of Chris Brown's
highly-publicized 2009 beating of Rihanna.
School superintendent Joseph Yelich has received many complaints. "Ultimately, our administrators are going to need to meet with the whole student body to set clear expectations for our behavior and the impact it has on all people," he said.
Still, some note that students performed in blackface at last year's pep rally. And both times, students, parents, media, and administrators sat idly by during the festivities. No one stopped the skit. They merely cheered it on, took pictures, and posted them on Facebook.
Read more here.
