Video at Houma, Louisiana High School has Community Outraged
UPDATE 8:11PM 3/15/22
According to a post from KLFY TV10, a 15-year-old was arrested on hate crime and simple battery charges as a result of the investigation.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A video has surfaced of a white student at a high school in Houma allegedly acting out the whipping of a Black student after throwing cotton at him.
Social media users are considering this a very racist act and have called for the expulsion of the white student seen in the video, and leniency for the Black student's retaliatory actions.
WHICH SCHOOL IN HOUMA?
Comments on social media have identified the school as Vandebilt Catholic High School, located at 209 South Hollywood Road in Houma, Louisiana.
WHAT HAPPENED?
As the video begins, you can clearly see the white student approach the black student and throw (what appears to be) cotton balls onto the table in front of the Black student.
The white student then begins to hit the Black student with what appears to be a belt. Though there doesn't appear to be any force behind the student's swing, the act of "whipping" is clear to see.
While the mock whipping is taking place, according to comments on the video, the white student is allegedly saying, "Get to work" in what allegedly appears to be a reference to slavery and picking cotton.
After the white student "whipped" the Black student four times, the Black student gets up from his seat and pushes the white student backward through a doorway to the cafeteria.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION TO THE VIDEO?
Multiple comments found on social media condemn the actions of the white student in the video.
Social media users are calling for the expulsion of not only the student who allegedly committed the acts but also the students who laughed at the situation and the student(s) who recorded the incident.
IS THE VIDEO GOING VIRAL?
Not really. The few posts that have been observed online only had a handful of "shares", but it has been posted internationally.
The video is being shared on social media around the world, including a music publishing business in the Philippines.
HAS THE STUDENT BEEN EXPELLED?
A post from BRProud reports that authorities were contacted and an investigation into the situation was opened. The story doesn't mention any disciplinary action, but it does say that authorities have spoken to the white student's parents.
Comments on social media make mention of the white student being expelled, but there has been no official word on that action.
Police say detectives met with the parents of the victim who have already spoken with school administrators, and that they are currently investigating the incident. - BRProud
Just a warning: there is some profanity in the video, which can be found here.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP BATTLE RACISM?
If you would like to help put an end to racism, here are some steps you can take that will help.
- Educate yourself. Go to your local library and research books about racism, or search the internet for videos that cover the topic.
- Take a good look at your actions and thought process when it comes to racial issues. Until we evaluate ourselves and work through our own issues, we can't grow.
- Speak to your children about racial issues. Even if you don't think that you are racist, there may be some leftover racial tendencies you have (unknowingly) taught your children.
If you would like to discuss this incident with your child (and you probably should, if your child is aged appropriately), here are some resources for you to reference.