A California mother is urging officials in her son’s school district to address a disturbing incident where her child became the target of racist taunts during a school wrestling match.
The family has outlined a series of steps they believe should be taken, which includes conducting a thorough investigation into the discriminatory acts and making them public.
Mercedes Overby held a press conference following an incident involving her son, a student-athlete at Sacramento’s Inderkum High School, on Jan. 18. The mother believes officials in nearby Roseville, California, did not do enough to stop the hate speech that violated her son’s civil rights.
The incident occurred during a wrestling match at Roseville High School earlier this month. A video shared on social media depicted two students using what appeared to be racist slurs and offensive body language during his match.
Omarion Overby, 16, an honors student, did not hear the slurs while he was on the mat. Instead, the 6-foot-2 and 285-pound wrestler was focused on trying to win in an intense match that went into triple overtime. If he heard anything, it was his schoolmates and supporters chanting his nickname from the side.
Unfortunately, he lost, and seeing the video the next day made the loss even more bitter.
“They sent the video to me, and I watched it, and I was just shocked,” Omarion said. “And after that, I sent it to my mother. They used the N-word, and they made monkey gestures.”
Standing before multiple media outlets, the mother told the public what happened to her son, how it made him feel, and is “calling for action.”
“I have demands,” Overby said, according to CBS News. “I want them met, and I don’t want them swept under the rug.”
After seeing the crude behavior, the teen was deeply distressed and is now relying on the support and advocacy of his mother to get answers and some measure of justice.
“He immediately gets upset. He’s hurt. He’s confused. He is 16. It’s 2024,” the mom said.
Omarion also shared how he was “shocked” and “disgusted” to hear the noises the kids were making.
“I was just shocked, and I was disgusted at the thought that that happened to me,” Omarion said, ABC 10 reported. “If I heard those words in the match,” he continued. “I don’t know what I would have done. I probably would have broke out in the rage, to be honest, hearing those disgusting words.”
The hosting school, Roseville High, has released a statement regarding its stance on racism and discrimination in light of the incident and the mother’s media alert.
“Our student body and staff includes community members from all backgrounds, races, and religions, which is one of many aspects that make our campus exceptional,” a spokesperson for the school wrote.
They also noted that they were investigating the incident and offered an apology from the administration.
“We wish to express a sincere apology for any and all offensive comments. Our commitment is to educate ourselves, our students, and the community, emphasizing that racism has no place at our school, in our homes, at our workplace, or anywhere else,” the school stated. “Simply put: We must do better, and we will.”
Mercedes and other relatives are asking for a third-party investigation. They also request that the two Roseville students in the video be expelled and the investigation results be made public.
Lastly, the family wants school officials to implement anti-racism education and training on campuses throughout the district and enact a zero-tolerance policy on racism.
It is unclear if the family has secured a lawyer to help with their interests and demands.
