A Texas high school student was expelled for creating and posting a racist video on social media depicting a Black student from another school as an enslaved man.
The video, which has since been removed, was posted shortly after a varsity basketball game between suburban Dallas-Fort Worth area schools Burleson Centennial High and Birdville High.
In it, the face of a Black third-year varsity player on Burleson’s team is overlayed onto the face of Kunta Kinte, a fictional character from the 1970s television miniseries “Roots,” which follows Kinte’s life from his birth in Africa to his kidnapping and enslavement in America, and finally the lives and emancipation of his descendants.
The scene used in the video shows Kinte being savagely beaten until he abandons his African name to adopt the name Toby, given by his enslaver — except the creator of the video superposed the face of 16-year-old Mason Williams onto Kinte’s.
Burleson Centennial’s logo was also featured in the clip.
The video was posted on a social media account called Birdville Barstool, which advertises itself as the “number one student section” for Birdville High. The account shares no official affiliation with the school.
Williams’ mother recalled the moments she saw the video online and the strength and composure her son showed in the aftermath.
“He was like, ‘Mom, don’t cry. Don’t cry,'” Divona Phillips told WFAA. “But it really hurt my feelings to see him portrayed as a slave. This was hateful. My son doesn’t really bother anybody — he just loves basketball. And he didn’t deserve this.”
Shortly after launching an investigation, the Birdville Independent School District identified the 16-year-old student who posted the video and expelled the teen.
District officials say the student was attending the school through an open enrollment application that they revoked. The student was not a member of the school’s basketball team.
The Barstool page was taken down, and Birdville ISD also contacted local law enforcement.
In a statement to WFAA, district officials said that while they are “disappointed and outraged,” they don’t believe the video was racially motivated.
“Birdville ISD is disappointed and outraged by the video. We deeply regret that the actions of one young, independent individual have caused harm to two school communities and we condemn such behavior. Birdville ISD is embarrassed and appalled that such content would be tied to our community. This video does not reflect the standards, values, character or expectations we have for those who are attempting to associate with Birdville ISD in any capacity.”
Phillips said that the school district has been actively communicating with her and reached out to offer an apology.
“They have been very proactive today to me, reaching out, responding to emails, and they want to make an apology to my son, which I appreciate,” she said.
The Burleson Independent School District also released a statement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram denouncing the racial harm caused by the clip.
“Saturday morning, Burleson ISD administration was made aware of a racially insensitive video about one of our student athletes. The content of this video was offensive and Burleson ISD strongly condemns it. We made Birdville ISD aware of it immediately. Birdville ISD administrators share the same level of concern and condemnation. Birdville ISD investigated, had the video removed and dealt with the student responsible.”
School leaders at Birdville and Burleson were also in contact with each other to ensure both districts are “united in our goals to support, nurture and encourage every student, regardless of what school they attend.”
