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19 Sep, 2018 14:48

‘We got us one’: Picture of white Alabama teens standing on black student sparks race row

‘We got us one’: Picture of white Alabama teens standing on black student sparks race row

A group of white Alabama high school students are at the center of a racism storm after a photo of them standing on a black pupil surfaced online with the caption ‘We got us one.’ Participants insist the stunt was a “joke.”

The snap sparked fury on social media after it was handed over to a left-wing Instagram account, @agirlhasnopresident, which claims it contacted the school in question – Moody High School (MHS) in Alabama – to report the incident. According to the whistleblower’s post, “every Friday during football season the students dress up.” On the day the photo was taken, the whistleblower alleged that students were dressed up for ‘Redneck Day.’

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***Swipe*** This is from Moody High School in Moody Alabama. Every Friday during football season the students dress up, I guess as a spirit thing to excite the students. This past Friday was “Redneck Day.” Why you’d have a redneck day in 2018, is beyond me, but I’ll let that go for now. This photo is circulating with the students. One of those students (who shall remain nameless) happens to be a follower of mine and sent this to me. I sent it to the main office at the school, to the PTO and I’ve tagged several local news stations in Alabama. If you swipe through, you’ll see parents defending their kids who are in this photo, which I find disgusting. “This photo will follow them around forever!” “It was the black kid’s idea!” “My son is not a racist!” Ummm, I hate to break it to you cupcake, but everything about this photo is racist. And I don’t care if “the black kid” suggested it, why would anyone agree to stand with their foot on another human, with that kind of caption?!? Even in Alabama, which has a reputation for such things, as does my home state, this isn’t okay. The not racist thing to do is to stop defending your own offspring and concern yourself with what this type of behavior does to the other students of color who see it, or to their younger siblings and parents. I think they certainly deserve better than this.,Any school should drop the hammer on things like this AND redneck day! It’s 2018! Your vice principal is a black woman! Do the right thing and let this be a learning experience for these kids AND their parents! This should not be tolerated in and form, in ANY state! I’m in Tennessee and I see many trashy racist things but if this happened at my kids schools, I would be all up in their business until this was handled. Every kid in that photo should, at the very least, be suspended. It’s a learning experience @moodyhighschool Don’t pass it up. You have a responsibility here. The rest of your students and their parents are waiting..... @moodyspanishclub @moodydevilsden @mhs.seniorcouncil2019 @moodyfca @mhsmajos @moodyhscheer

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Parent of one of the teens, Carrie Wilkinson, hit back at the claims her son was racist, telling those slamming the children on social media that it “was a joke taken out of context” and it was intended only as “fun and games.” The teens have been overwhelmingly slammed online, with TV network CBS42 reporting that the students have received death threats over the issue.

Some of the students involved spoke to CBS42, stating that the picture had been blown “out of proportion.” Austin Gass, one of the white students in the shot, said “if I could go back, I wouldn't have took (sic) the picture” and Nick Fuller, the black student pictured on the floor, added that he’d “like to say sorry again for anyone I offended.”

On social media, the snap, republished by @agirlhasnopresident, has amassed more than 1600 likes and 250 comments. The teens have been overwhelmingly slammed for their “despicable behavior,” calling their actions “sick.” Others were asking “how do [the students] not get it?”

Hitting back at claims that the students were dressing up for ‘Redneck Day,’ MHS principal Christopher Walters released a statement to clarify that “the theme of the day in question was ‘Destination Day,’” which meant “students had the opportunity to dress up to represent destinations around the United States including: Hawaii, New Orleans, Dallas and Hollywood.”

Walters called the image “offensive and unacceptable,” and said that the actions of the students involved were out of character – but that they “will be disciplined appropriately.”

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