‘I Just Sat There and Took It’: Florida Teen Reportedly Edited Into Image Holding Cotton, Called Racist Terms By Classmates. Other Students Have Come Forward

A Florida teen alleged she endured racist attacks from her peers at school, and the administration failed to do anything about it. Now, her family is seeking help from the local NAACP and the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Grace Clay, a 16-year-old Babcock Ranch High School student, said she experienced bullying and mistreatment while playing on the volleyball team, WFTX-TV reported. Clay noted that she was referred to as a “cotton-picker,” as well as other derogatory terms.

“Get the Black one,” a student could be heard saying in a video obtained by the outlet. “Guys, she didn’t pick her cotton this morning.” 

Clay told WFX-TV that she sat in the corner while she was struck with pillows during the incident at an away game: “I put my hands up, and I just sat there and took it.”

When her family contacted the principal, they received a response that “determined” that the video was not “racially discriminatory,” according to the report. The girls in the video were allegedly only told to sit out for one game. 

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In another incident on her birthday, the teen said a meme of her face edited on an enslaved person was circulated by students on social media, the outlet reported. Her family reached out to the NAACP.

The Lee County chapter said that it had received complaints of harassment from multiple students who have had similar experiences as Clay, WBBH-TV reported. One said they were referred to as a monkey, while another was met with homophobic comments. In addition, a photo posted on social media showed a student writing the N-word on the board while playing hangman, per the report. 

“Parents should be outraged about what is taking place in Babcock Ranch High School,” Lee County NAACP president James Muwakkil told the outlet.

The school issued a statement condemning the video Clay was in and added that it is working with the NAACP to address their concerns. According to the reports, Clay’s family will file a complaint with the DOJ to look into the culture of the school.

Read the original story here.