Two white South Florida high school students have been suspended after a photo of a racist promposal went viral.
You know the one, where they’re standing on either side of a black student with a sign that read, “You may be picking cotton but we’re picking you to go to prom with us.”
The girls apologized through their parents, WPLG reports, with one father telling the news station that it was an inside joke made to the black student, who was originally not going to prom. The black student is a friend of the other two and is home-schooled; she is actually the heir to her grandmother’s cotton farm in Alabama—hence the “joke.”
Right.
One of the fathers said that he understands the controversy over the sign and why it may appear to be racist, but he said that there was no malicious intent behind the sign and that now the girls are afraid to go to their prom.
“They really want to apologize for their extremely poor choice of words in this situation,” said a father of another student. “They would like to take it back. They would like to find a different way to express this invitation to prom.”
The girls, who attend Monarch High School, have been suspended pending the completion of an investigation into the incident.
“Broward County Public Schools is proud of its diverse student population and community,” district spokeswoman Tracy Clark said. “Our district is committed to providing learning environments that foster inclusion and respect.”
The other father said that he hopes everyone hears the “true” story.
“There have been consequences,” he said. “We understand the reality of that, but the girls really want people to know what the truth is behind this.”
But I’m interested in your thoughts, people. Do these new facts change your perception of the promposal? Is the joke more acceptable because the black student is actually the heir to a cotton farm? Or is this just all kinds of nopes for you?
Read more at WPLG.