Students at Jackson High School in Ohio held a protest on Monday in the school’s cafeteria after videos went viral of their classmates and a parent saying racial slurs last Friday.
One of the videos shows three white girls that have been identified as students at Jackson High School and one of their parents screaming “n****r.” In that same video, the parent of one of the students said “We don’t say the black word” while laughing.
Another video shows a white female student saying “Happy Birthday, n****r.” A picture also surfaced that showed a white male student with a white towel over his head and the caption “I’m in the KKK.”
“I don’t think hurt is the right word,” said Kenedi Satterfield, a senior at Jackson High School, to Cleveland 19 News. “It was definitely more than hurt. I was disgusted and concerned for my own safety and other Black kids’ safety.”
Community members like Teyona Bowen said that Jackson Township is known for being racist.
“It is,” Bowen said to Cleveland 19 News. “It is. It absolutely is.”
“Jesus, it’s so bad now over there, that’s Jackson for you,” another man said after Cleveland 19 News showed him the videos.
Another woman that is familiar with the town and school made a TikTok video to echo those same claims.
“If you know anything about the reputation of Jackson schools and the people that go there, three words tend to come up when describing them. Rich, snobby, and racists,” said the woman in the TikTok video posted on Facebook.
“It’s infuriating,” said Daymi Dennis to Cleveland 19 News. “It blows my mind.”
Satterfield told the local news station that she has been dealing with racism since her freshman year.
“This isn’t the first time that we’ve come into contact with you know racial tensions but it definitely, it sucks a lot because you think that you’re safe at school sometimes and then you see stuff like this from other students,” said Satterfield to Cleveland 19 News.
Black and white students gathered in the cafeteria to hold a protest on Monday.
According to reports, Jackson Local School District Superintendent Chris DiLoreto called the videos “reprehensible and troubling.”
He also reportedly said that the school district does not tolerate racism of any kind but can’t discipline the students because the videos were made not on school property. He did mention that the students who made videos on school property will face consequences but didn’t disclose what those consequences will be.
Satterfield stated that the principal and superintendent are looking at starting a student board to educate the community after she reportedly meet with both more than once this week.
“My phone hasn’t stopped blowing up since last night,” Satterfield said. “I’ve gotten numerous messages from many kids and even parents in support of me using my voice and me helping other kids use their voice to change what’s going on in our school.”
