On Sept. 27, a Missouri City, Texas teen was forced to change out of a slave-inspired costume because high school administrators said it violated dress code.
According to KPRC-TV Click Houston, Ridge Point High School senior Brian Ibe decided to dress as an enslaved African for “Decades Day” as part of the school’s homecoming week. While others dressed as flappers or hippies, Ibe went further back to make a statement about American history. On Tuesday, he arrived to school in a torn shirt covered in red paint, with a pitchfork, chains and a bag of cotton. School officials made him change.
https://twitter.com/brian_ibe/status/780779658526601217
“I decided to dress in the time when there were slaves,” Ibe tells reporters. “They told me to take it off. They said I should take it off before it start problems and make people uncomfortable.” He adds that he wanted people to know about the cruelty African-Americans endured during slavery.
After the fracas, Ibe complied with the school’s demands to change to avoid an in-school suspension. Fort Bend Independent School District released a statement: “Ridge Point High School is encouraging students to express their school spirit this week, while adhering to the dress code.”
