Wisconsin high school students were told they could not wear “Trump Wall” shirts at their private school.
As reported by CBS 58, “Students, parents and Latino advocacy groups are calling for action to be taken after a photo of students at Racine Lutheran High School with T-shirts that read ‘Trump’s Wall’ on them was circulated online.”
According to CBS 58, the shirts were worn by a group of students during a homecoming volleyball game. It does not appear as if the students caused any sort of disturbance, however, “school administrators said when staff saw the shirts they told the students they could not wear them.”
“It’s not solely just the issue of the T-shirt, it’s the message that it’s sending,” Cynthia Galvan, the parent of a Racine Lutheran High School student said. She explained to CBS 58 that her son and “other students of color” were “offended by the shirts.” Galvan said that they complained to school administrators following the incident.
Galvan told CBS 58 that it was “the last straw” after she said parents and students brought outside organizations in to help them handle the situation.
Galvan hinted at other “deeply-rooted issues involving race at the school” but did not elaborate on what she meant.
Allegedly, Forward Latino and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Wisconsin were contacted to assist with resolving the situation. The two groups will be providing the school with “anti-bias and multicultural best practices and training for the school.”
Forward Latino President Darryl Morin called the shirts “anti-immigrant rhetoric” and said the group knew it “had to get involved.”
Morin said, “We see this rhetoric, anti-immigrant rhetoric, being applied toward citizen and non-citizen alike, and we knew we had to get involved. Because right now we’re seeing this division here, people on a weekly basis act on those words to tragic consequences.”
The executive director and principal of Racine Lutheran, David Burgess, said in a statement that “dialogue” has been occurring with students, parents, and representatives of organizations.
Burgess’ statement reads:
As a school community, we recently addressed situations that prompted dialogue with students, parents, and representatives from Forward Latino and the League of United Latin American Citizens.
While the discussions and topics were challenging, we are confident healing and growth will result through ongoing efforts and communication. We respect and value our students, as each is a child of God.
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Racine Lutheran High School” by Racine Lutheran High School.
