(ThyBlackMan.com) A high school in Minneapolis may end up having to pay up after allowing its students to openly engage in a tradition called “Wigger Day.” On this “sacred” occasion, the students in the school would wear clothing and engage in behavior that “from their perspective, mimicked black culture.” This was all according to a federal class action lawsuit filed on Friday.
The suit claims that a group of roughly 60 students voted to have “Wigger Wednesday,” where students would dress up as African Americans from “the 
hood.” The outfits included oversized sports jerseys, fitted hats and “doo” rags. Some of them even threw up gang signs to celebrate the occasion.
“Wigger is a pejorative slang term for a white person who emulates the mannerisms, language and fashions associated with African-American culture,” said the complaint.
Quera Pruitt, a former student at Red Wing High School, the school being sued, claims that the school did not intervene in the decisions being made by the kids. She says that the school’s lack of action caused her “severe emotional distress including depression, loss of sleep, stress, crying, humiliation, anxiety, and shame.”
Pruitt also says that her mother came to the school and tried to address the school board, the superintendent and the principal, but they did nothing about it.
A statement from the district “denies the allegations that it has created a racially hostile environment and looks forward to meeting these allegations in court.”
Obviously, this kind of behavior at any high school is beyond inappropriate, but it might help to put things into context. First, the decision by this student and her mother to sue the school district reminds us that legal remedies may be necessary for African Americans to gain ground in our quest toward true equality. Millions of Black people across America experience similar discrimination, and feel powerless to control their environments. Well, this lawsuit is a “small step for Ms. Pruitt, but a giant leap for the Black kids who will no longer have to endure this kind of abuse.”
Secondly, we must realize that most of the time, when young white kids behave in this way, they don’t quite realize the significance of their actions. Rather, I point the finger at the adults around them who never took the time to teach them racial sensitivity.
White kids see ridiculous black behavior being splattered all over the media, and come to think that this is what black people are all about. Their parents, teachers and other adults responsible for teaching them how the world really works, don’t take the time to explain the matter to them, so they end up doing things like this. I felt the same way years ago, when Syracuse University officials sought the expulsion of white students who’d engaged in racist behavior. I personally felt that the students could be salvaged, while it was shameful that their teachers and parents had never taught them better.
Third, we must blame ourselves as a community. If a white kid wants to learn about black people, he might turn on BET. If he does, he’s going to see the BET Awards, with black people behaving in the most pathetic, irresponsible, and coonish ways imaginable. In fact, they see that the biggest buffoons are actually getting awards for their behavior (you hear that Lil Wayne?). So, as odd as it may sound, there are probably some white kids out there who feel that they are actually paying tribute to black people by acting like “wiggers.” We must challenge those in high places who seek to distort who we are.
Staff Writer; Dr. Boyce Watkins
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. For more information, please visit http://BoyceWatkins.com.
