WTH? Can someone pleeeeease help me understand how this is even possible? For the past three years, a school in Anaheim, California, has allowed students to hold so-called "Seniores" and "Señoritas" event during senior activity week in June. If you don't know what is, let me explain: It's basically when students go to school dressed as gang members, gardeners, and even as a pregnant woman pushing a stroller. Not sure what the point of something so idiotic would be except to demean Latinos.
Fed up with the blatant falta de respeto, two former students filed complaints and after launching an internal investigation, the Orange Unified School District has finally put an end to this despicable event.
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While I'm glad the school district has canceled the event, I simply can't understand how it was even possible for this to go on for three years and with the school's administration approval. I mean, how insensitive can they possibly be? And why are they even in charge of preparing our children for the future?
Sadly, with past allegations of police abuse against the Latino community in Anaheim, it's kind of easy to see why campus administrators allowed these activities to go on for three years. They obviously have an issue with Latinos in that part of California.
The reality is that children–including teens–learn from the behavior of the adults around them, whether it's family members or teachers. And if the people they look up to are the ones using racial slurs or allowing demeaning behavior to go unpunished, what are they suppposed to do? Sadly, this is a trend that doesn't seem to be going away in our country just yet. That's why I applaud the two former students who filed complaints for speaking up.
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Making sure school administrators are given adequate diversity and sensitivy training–like the kind Canyon High School officials will have to undergo–will hopefully help get rid of the discrimation against us. After all, whether others like it or not, Latinos are here to stay… and we're not gonna take it anymore!
What do you think? Share your thoughts with us by leaving us a comment below.
Image via KTLA
