65°
Alumnae and current students at Immaculate Heart Academy have signed a petition with an accompanying letter calling for expulsion of the two seniors and “actions from the administration to further promote racial equality,” she said.
This comes in response to a gone-viral video in which one student from the all-girls school in Washington Township repeats a racial epithet and then curses “Black Lives Matter” while downing shots -- without masks during a pandemic -- at a Valentine’s Day party.
CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE PETITION: IHA Antiracism Action
“I love my school, although right now it’s not as easy to love,” a student wrote Wednesday in an email to Daily Voice.
“Your story was unfortunately extremely accurate to the situation currently transpiring,” she added. “All of us students are enraged about what those two girls did for a variety of reasons.
“Along with our outrage towards the exhibited white privilege, we are also upset because those racist comments are the opposite of who the students of IHA are.”
She continued:
“In light of recent events, the entire student body has bonded together to call for the expulsion of the two girls and actions from the administration to further promote racial equality.
“The alumn[ae] of the school have especially taken charge in this call for action, even writing a letter that almost all IHA students past and present have signed.
“The day after we were notified of what happened, students started reposting information and resources on how people should educate themselves about the disgusting quality of racial slurs like those used in that video.
SEE: Catholic NJ High School Pair In Profane, Racist BLM Video Draw Wrath, Shake Community
“I cannot speak on behalf of the administration. Quite frankly I think they have not done enough to promote racial equality at my school. However, the heart of any academic institution is in its students, and regardless of the administration’s actions or lack thereof, the students will not tolerate what happened.
“At the end of the day, IHA and the Archdiocese will recover, they always do; it is us girls who have to say we attend the school that produced the racist video who will forever face some ounce of judgment.
“I understand that the student body’s reaction is not an equally dramatic or inflammatory story to the one you recently wrote, but I believe it is of great importance and could gain equal, if not more, attention.
“We are smart and calculated women of valor. IHA educated us on the importance of speaking up for what is right along with the proper rhetoric to convincingly do so, and we are employing those techniques now.
“Teenage girls have almost always either been ignored or laughed at, but what happened is not okay and we will not be quiet.”
YOU CAN REACH US AT DAILY VOICE: jdemarco@dailyvoice.com OR clevine@dailyvoice.com
Click here to follow Daily Voice Elizabeth and receive free news updates.
