High School Students Protest Racial Retweet By Assistant Principal, Walk Out
Nearly one dozen students from Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Virginia staged a walk-out on Monday to protest a racial Twitter post that was shared by the white assistant principal of their school.
Daily Mail reports that Assistant Principal Amy Strickland shared the controversial social media message and photo as a retweet on her own personal profile back in June. However, the post was discovered on her page recently and that discovery eventually led to the protest.
The retweet was a post originally from the popular satirical Twitter account “Or Nah” (@OrNahhTweets).
It featured a prom photo with seven interracial couples – each consisting of a black male and a white female.
The controversial part of the post was found in the picture’s caption.
“Every white girl’s father’s worst nightmare Or Nah?”
Every white girl’s father’s worst nightmare Or Nah? pic.twitter.com/J1LkYr26fR
— Or Nah (@OrNahhTweets) June 8, 2014
Daily Mail reports that the retweet has since been deleted.
However, over the past week, students at Booker T. Washington High School have shared screenshots of the controversial tweet and their assistant principal’s Twitter account among themselves.
Students have claimed that their requests for the school’s faculty to investigate the retweet further have not been granted.
Members of the Norfolk School Board told WAVY-10 on Monday that there were first made aware of the tweet when the news station reached out to to them for an official comment.
The school faculty may not have paid attention to the students’ requests, but the Norfolk branch of the NAACP definitely did. In an interview with WAVY-10, Norfolk Branch NAACP President Joe Dillard expressed his support for the students and their actions.
“I’m proud of them. It’s very heroic. A lot of people now say the youth is not engaged and that action proves that’s not true. The youth are actually very engaged especially at Booker T. with that action, and I want the youth to know that we are standing behind them in their actions.”
Dillard also stated that he will officially call for action from the school’s administration in regards to this issue as well.
Amy Strickland, a three-time “Teacher of the Year” award winner, has remained silent on the matter since it was first exposed to the public. The assistant principal has reportedly avoided all public speaking engagements and meetings.
According to her published biography on the official Booker T. Washington High School website, Amy Strickland is a married mother of two daughters who “looks forward to making a difference at, and serving the students” of the Norfolk high school.
A graduate of Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University, Amy Strickland was hired as the new assistant principal for Booker T. Washington High School earlier this year. Before accepting the position as the assistant principal, Strickland worked as a science teacher and cheerleading coach for a school in Portsmouth.
[Image Credit: Booker T. Washington High School Website & Or Nah Tweets]
