“Hey Hey – Ho Ho – Racist white people have got to go!”
A black cheerleader was auto cropped out of a cheerleader squad picture when the photo was auto formatted from 4×6 to 4×4 for printing by an online system. Some students sprung into action blaming the cheerleader squad for racial bias. A protest for this non-event is planned for tomorrow morning and sanctioned by the school district.
See below for a first hand account of what actually happened.
I’ve pieced together the following about the incident and protest. Curiously, I’ve even found an incident where the school district very intentionally cropped out white students from a photo used in an official document.
- Protest Announcement from DHS Principal Cole
- The Whole Story
- The call to action from social media
- DeKalb Schools crops out white people
Dunwoody High School Black Lives Matter Rally Monday @ 7:30am – First Bell. Wear BLACK. Bring RESPECTABLE posters. * Bring letters of instances teachers or students used your race and cultural background against you *
This protest is sanctioned by the school district. Message from Dunwoody High School Principal, Priscilla Cole
In case you were not aware, there was an incident that occurred in which a viral picture went out that was mischaracterized which involved our football cheerleading squad and it has impacted our school community. The nature of this incident has led some students to exercise their right to protest and they plan to hold a peaceful protest Monday morning, December 18, 2017 from 7:30am-8:00am.
To ensure the protest is peaceful, we will have additional officers on campus as well district support. Students who are not participating in the protest should enter the school immediately upon arrival to school as they normally do. Please be mindful of the current carpool lane rules as you drop your student(s) off. Instruction will continue as planned so that students can prepare for their upcoming finals.
Lastly, please be reminded that students cannot wear any clothing that may cause a disturbance or disruption in the school. This includes, but is not limited to clothing with references to drugs and/or alcohol, confederate flags, black lives matter, white pride or power etc.
–Dunwoody HS
Original Tweet … check out the number of likes and retweets …
https://twitter.com/mamfatouj/status/941065548040990727
Update (12/18/2017) – Original tweet taken down. Here is an image …
- For nearly 20 years the Dunwoody varsity cheer team has created a photo collage for the coach.
- A parent used a professional camera on senior night and took lots of photos. These photos were given to a student and that student uploaded these photos to Walgreen’s photo site for printing. The Walgreens software automatically cropped every photo from 4×6 to 4×4.
- Once the printed photos were picked up, the cropping issues were noticed and those photos that had girls cropped out were not used for the collage.
- The collage was presented to the cheerleading coach at the banquet and every cheerleader is in the collage multiple times. The unused photos were placed on the coach’s desk at the school.
- Cheerleaders are now being harassed online and in person.
- All the cropped photos were set aside so they wouldn’t be in the collage. The cropped photos were not used anywhere.
Quick Video Example of Auto Cropping
School District Intentionally Crops Out White Students
Back in 2013, the school district put out a 90 Day plan. I don’t think Walgreens is to blame for this one.
RELATED
Was racism behind black cheerleader being cropped from Dunwoody High photo?
Students Kneel During National Anthem
December 18, 2017 – Students at Dunwoody High School are crying racism after a black cheerleader was cropped out of a team picture.
Social media posts popped up over the weekend showing the full photo and its edited version, which eliminated the only black member in the picture.
Students say cropped photo shows racial tension at Dunwoody High
Students Kneel During National Anthem
December 19, 2017 – A doctored photo of Dunwoody High School cheerleaders that deleted the lone black student sparked a rally by students demanding equal treatment in a school where they say they face an increasing racial divide.
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
@COMPASSION 101 >> Regardless of your perception, this really was just a machine-made cropping. That particular photo was not used specifically due to the bad cropping. The entire project was a collage of square photos, in which the young lady was surely included in several of the photos in the final art board. I’m truly saddened to think that in reality, our young people have such a deep mistrust between them that a relatively innocuous incident like this can lead to such an uproar. To me, it just shows that beneath the very, very thin surface, lies a whole lot of hurt. It’s time to move past arguing, anger, name-calling and protesting, these hurts need discussed and explored – the ADL programs are a great start.
Doing this work of discussing, understanding and forgiveness will hopefully lead our young people to choose to live by “The 4 Agreements” (enforced/reinforced by the adults in their lives). I really have faith in these agreements >>
1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.
CHOOSING to live by these agreements really will change your life and perspective, which is really all you can do, as you can’t change others. It sounds corny and simple, but in practice, teaching and modeling the 4 Agreements at DHS could be a game-changer.
Mr. Jesture I’m not taking an offense to the statement; but, I was merely pointing out; that you the “Board Leader” doesn’t have the capability to be a neutral and cognizant voice. Again, you’re behaving like an 8 year old, instead of taking responsibility for your comment or faux-pas; you instead point out what the AJC Writer stated. Remember that AJC Writer isn’t the leader or voice for DHS you are! Like we’ve all been told by our parents growing up, if you friend runs off into the lake, are you going to do the same thing? NO I WOULD NOT! But, if you’re a leader, then lead not follow!! But to see your ignorance and pettiness prevail again; that you would really outline what is or isn’t a color or what’s a primary color or not; and you see nothing inappropriate about rating and categorize people is absolutely appalling and embarrassing. And you call yourself a Leader! WOW!!!
Compassion101, Easy on the insults. Let’s try to have a relatively civil conversation.
1. Are you suggesting Marlon Walker with the AJC should not have said “black student”?
2. Are black people allowed to say “white people”?
Mr. Jesture I’m not taking an offense to the statement; but, I was merely pointing out; that you the “Board Leader” doesn’t have the capability to be a neutral and cognizant voice. Again, you’re behaving like an 8 years old, instead of taking responsibility for your comment or faux-pas; you instead point out what the AJC Writer stated. Remember that AJC Writer isn’t the leader or voice for DHS you are! Like we’ve all been told by our parents growing up, if you friend runs off into the lake, are you going to do the same thing? NO I WOULD NOT! But, if you’re a leader, then lead not follow!! But to see your ignorance and pettiness prevail again; that you would really outline what is or isn’t a color or what’s a primary color or not; and you see nothing inappropriate about rating and categorize people is absolutely appalling and embarrassing. And you call yourself a Leader! WOW!!!
In the final collage, were all girls displayed equally or at least close to it? Do any of the white cheerleaders have a beef.
As we see daily on college campuses, being “white” seems to be a problem for many non-whites and/or “other-whites” (spoiled brats spending large amounts of their parents money, for example). Perhaps we should all reject the focus on “tribes” pushed 24/7 by Democrats and global elites. Obama was shameful.
Well said, Cere. I emailed Dr. Green about this, asking if this protest is sanctioned, what are his thoughts on white kids getting cropped out of pictures that ARE published, in district manuals. He had a regional superintendent call me. She saw nothing wrong with the protest, but I didn’t ask for her position on things, I asked him. If he doesn’t want to directly respond to me, then he broadcasts what he is really about. Sad all around. I told her my 10-year old could care less about anyone’s color or race, but if he stays in this district, he will! The school leaders don’t get it, sanctioning the protest promoted that which was protested.
Thanks for clearing that up Allegra
Stan based on your responses it is obvious you don’t believe that DHS has issues of race. How many minority children do you have attending this school? How many discussions have you had with kids affected by this? The protest was not because of one picture. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. My daughter a student at DHS. Ask how many times you here white students using racial slurs, incidents where football players are on a bud post game yelling “build a wall” to their Hispanic teammates. Why you have white students being caught with Xanax or vaporizors in school but nothing is done. You should be ashamed to call yourself a board member who should at all times be biased but instead you are saying their protest should not have been allowed. How dare you comment on an issue that doesn’t affect your or your white children? Have you looked at the diversity on our football cheer squad over the years? Would you call that diverse? Next we will have all the news station attend and bring light to what DHS is trying to hide. The Principal is being thrown into this because she is black. She sanctioned a peaceful protest and all lives matter but what your not going to do is sit here and say what these students are protesting for is invalid.
Hello Janice. Thanks for sharing.
I believe there are race issues abound across the country. There is no place for racism in Dunwoody or at DeKalb Schools. Please let me know who the racists are. Please let me know who is unjustly putting obstacles in front of the children. I think we can all get behind addressing these issues.
Derogatory Language is not acceptable at school. If a group of students are yelling “Build a Wall” to their Hispanic teammates, a teacher or administrator should be notified. Depending on the severity, the consequences can be anywhere from a conference to suspension.
I am a strong advocate for the First Amendment. While I don’t think yelling “Racist White People Have Got To Go” is constructive, I advocate for their ability to peacefully rally and let us know how they feel. I hope all groups across the religious, racial and political spectrums are equally afforded the ability to peacefully protest at DHS.
Stan these are issues that I personally along with another patent met with Mr. McFerrin and Mr. Blake about last school year. Unfortunately based on your responses to alot of these remarks on this site I don’t believe you are the best person to deal with this or even be apart of fixing the problem because you are biased. I know the protest was more than about a picture and that we have issues all over the country but we are in Dunwoody so that is where it starts for our children. I raise my child to treat everyone the same and she has a very diverse group of friends so I am all for resolving these issues but first you guys have to admit and acknowledge the problem within DHS.
Janice, The Board of Education is the official policy making body for the DeKalb County School District. We have policies that address illicit drugs and derogatory language. Otherwise, there’s not much I can do unless you tell me who the racists are and what they did. Racism is abound … even in Dunwoody.
I had a very brief conversation with the protesters. They intimated they were there because of the auto cropping incident. The signs and chants suggest they were there regarding White Racism in general.
Here’s another idea >> How about if our DeKalb science teachers teach about the issue that people of different colors, who originate from different continents are not a different race. We need to move past the issue of ‘race’ as we are ALL part of the human race. This is not just my personal blathering, this is modern science. Here is an experiment from the NIH that all high school science students can replicate with good teacher guidance.
Are Africans, Europeans, and Asians Different “Races”? A Guided-Inquiry Lab for Introducing Undergraduate Students to Genetic Diversity and Preparing Them to Study Natural Selection
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3366900/
Abstract
Many students do not recognize that individual organisms within populations vary, and this may make it difficult for them to recognize the essential role variation plays in natural selection. Also, many students have weak scientific reasoning skills, and this makes it difficult for them to recognize misconceptions they might have. This paper describes a 2-h laboratory for college students that introduces them to genetic diversity and gives them practice using hypothetico-deductive reasoning. In brief, the lab presents students with DNA sequences from Africans, Europeans, and Asians, and asks students to determine whether people from each continent qualify as distinct “races.” Comparison of the DNA sequences shows that people on each continent are not more similar to one another than to people on other continents, and therefore do not qualify as distinct races.
+++
My point is – instead of arguing and getting essentially nowhere due to closed minds on both sides, I would challenge teachers to use this as a teachable moment to address and teach issues of diversity within the human species (not race), tolerance, appreciation, integrity and scientific reasoning. Not doing so allows these issues to fester and grow out of control. Perception is not truth. Truth is truth. Science is the place to go for truth.
“The puzzling question for me is: How long will black people accept the educational destruction of black youngsters — something that only benefits the education establishment?”
http://walterewilliams.com/black-self-sabotage/
It is time for every parent to acknowledge the reality and actually work to fix our problems. Meaningless claims of racism are, well, meaningless. It will always come down the our family structures. And real accomplishment.