WJZ screenshot
A high school student in Maryland has attracted national attention for his racist essay and tweet. The student was required to write a satirical essay imitating Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” The book is a 1700s satire that suggests people eat babies to cure famine.
The North County High School student wrote that African-Americans should be sent to the desert and killed. The essay was posted online, and now extra staff has been brought into the Glen Burnie, Maryland school, WJZ reports.
Bob Mosier of Anne Arundel County Schools told the station, “This student’s subject certainly, though, was insensitive and ill-advised, and as we said, stoked a lot of concern.”
The student also tweeted a racist message saying, “killing black people is like saying n––––– they do it all the time, but get pissed when white people do it.”
“School’s should be about building bridges, not creating walls,” Carl Snowden, convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders told WJZ. “Our teachers standing in the classroom trying to teach people about satire should also understand that there’s a balance between satire and offensive behavior.”
North County High says they have held several meetings with students and sent letters home to parents on April 12. In the letter posted on the school website, Principal Julie Cares informs parents she will continue to have conversations with teachers on the issue. Cares also reveals the student was assigned the essay in an Advanced Placement language class. The school plans to meet with community stakeholders and launch a student advisory group.
According to Public School Review, North County High is made up of 1,879 students. Minorities make up 43 percent of the student body. Black students are the majority of that with 25 percent. White students are 57 percent of the student population. The state average for minority high school students is 53 percent.
