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SPEAK ON IT: Were High School Officials Justified In PUNISHING The 1st Black Female Student Body President Because Of An "Offensive" Photo To White Males?

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Meet Maya Peterson, the high school student who was ousted from her role as student body president after pics of her "mocking" white male students surfaced online.  It's causing an uproar online, likely because it all went down at the most expensive school in the country.

 

SPEAK ON the school's actions inside....

Maya Peterson, above, is the former student body president at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.  It's the most expensive high school in America with tuition reportedly topping $53,000 year!

Before we proceed, let's point out why Maya stands out among her peers. 1. She is one of a handful of black students. 2. She's openly gay. 3. Her family paid her tuition in full. 4. She was the FIRST black female student body president

Now for the main event. Maya was removed from her position after her classmates began circulating the pic above. According to an article on Buzzfeed, Maya says she took the pic as a joke because she was questioned about senior photos, where she and 10 friends - all of whom were black - raised their hands in a 'Black Power' salute.

So....Maya posted her pic--wearing a Yale sweatshirt and carryng a hockey stick--which she says is a typical 'Lawrenceville boi.'  She added hashtags like '#romney2016,' '#confederate,' and '#peakedinhighschool.'

In explaining the photo, Maya said, 'Yes, I am making a mockery of the right-wing, confederate-flag hanging, openly misogynistic Lawrentians,...If that’s a large portion of the school’s male population, then I think the issue is not with my bringing attention to it in a lighthearted way, but rather why no one has brought attention to it before…'

She added,

'I understand why I hurt people’s feelings, but I didn’t become president to make sure rich white guys had more representation on campus,' she told the website. 'Let’s be honest. They’re not the ones that feel uncomfortable here.'

Now....here's where the ish comes in. Maya was told she had to resign or face disciplinary action because she offended the people she was elected to represent.  In fact, one of her classmates said, 'You’re the student body president, and you’re mocking and blatantly insulting a large group of the school’s male population.'

Is wearing a Yale sweatshirt and carrying a hockey stick strictly "white male" attributes or negative connotations.  We all know BLACK FACE is.   But are these things equally "offensive"?

So here are our questions:

1.  Was the school justified in ousting her from her position because of photos deemed "offensive" by classmates?

2.  Can we call a college sweatshirt and a piece of sporting equipment "culturally offensive"?

 

SPEAK ON IT!

 

Photo via Instagram

 


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