Orange County High School ‘Black Lives Matter’ Program Sparks Controversy In Virginia

Orange County High School in Virginia is at the heart of a racial controversy after a “They Don’t Care Abut Us” program that was a part of a Black Lives Matter presentation at the school. The Black History Month program caught national attention after a Virginia police officer and his wife shared the program from the presentation, which include a reading entitled, “Voices: The Exhausting Task of Being Black In America.” Videos from the Orange County High School presentation have also gone viral online.

The Virginia police officer and his wife deemed the Black Lives Matter program at Orange County High School an “anti-police propaganda” presentation. The high school event was initially scheduled as a part of Black History Month in February and featured students throughout the county school district. Students who were a part of the Black Lives Matter event serving as ushers reportedly wore black T-shirts emblazoned with “I can’t breathe” printed on the front. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the phrase was used by New York City man, Eric Garner, after being placed in a choke hold by a NYPD police officer and ultimately dying after the altercation.

A pro-police Facebook page was among the first to post an anonymous account by a law enforcement who said his wife took their young son to watch their 8-year-old daughter perform with a choir, according to The Blaze.

“As my wife walked into the auditorium, she noticed the students working the event were wearing black t-shirts that stated ‘I Can’t Breath’ and ‘#?blacklivesmatter?.’ My wife tried to overlook it and settled in to enjoy the program. My daughter had been selected to participate in the program and sing a ‘Motown Medley’ as part of one of the elementary choirs. My wife looked at the program that she was handed as she took her seat and found disturbing and, what I would argue, anti-police propaganda all over it.”

An insert in the Orange County High School program reportedly featured two young women holding signs that said, “Hands up, don’t shoot.” The Virginia law enforcement officers also had this to say about the Black Lives Matter program, “At this point my wife had an uneasy feeling about what this program was actually about and quickly realized those black t-shirts were not just some of the students ‘protesting’ but that it was part of the nights theme! One by one students began reciting ‘last words.’ To include ‘I’m from Ferguson Missouri. I was told to put my hands up. I did, and I was shot 7 times. My name is Michael Brown.'”

The Virginia police officer also stated that multiple parents were upset about the tone of the Black Lives Matter program at Orange County High School. The officer who also asked not to be identified during an interview with The Blaze, said that parents who tried to gather up their children and leave during the program were urged to wait until intermission, but were ultimately permitted to exit the auditorium.

The skits and readings reportedly noted on Orange County High School Black Lives Matter program included:

• “Voices: The Exhausting Task of Being Black in America”
• “Don’t Shoot”
• “Not an Elegy for Mike Brown”
• “I Can’t Breathe”
• “Does my Black Life Matter”
• “They Don’t Really Care About Us”

“I work very hard to serve my community,” said the Virginia police officer who noted that he was happy initially his daughter was participating in the Black History Month event. “I don’t make a lot of money and I don’t ask for recognition for doing my job. But to hear my baby girl ask us why do cops shoot good people? Are they bad cops? Does that make you or me bad?? It was heart breaking and infuriating all at the same time.”

What do you think about the Black Lives Matter program hosted by Orange County High School in Virginia and the racial controversy sparked by the event?

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