A principal at a high school in Connecticut has cautioned against the use of a traditional cheer that involved the school’s color, white, over concerns that it was racially insensitive in the country’s current social climate.
Principal John Fidler of East Hampton High School in East Hampton, Connecticut, sent out a letter to his community about the school’s traditional practice of chanting the school’s primary color during athletic events over concerns that it wasn’t appropriate in our current social climate.
“Given the social climate across our country, our use of the ‘White’ cheer is under suspension. Please show your pride in our town and in our school through other means when cheering on our teams,” Fidler wrote.
A report from the local news station, WFSB-3, claims that the letter sent by Fidler sparked a backlash in the community. Students took to social media to express their confusion.
The note sparked an online firestorm, with students posting on Facebook.
Jordan Michnowicz wrote: “…this stuff has me outraged they are trying to take a simple chant that our school has done for years and years. They are trying to make it about race.”
Brandon Kochuk posted “when the seniors cheer all they say is white. they don’t say white power or anything involving race they are just saying white.”
A superintendent from the school district claimed that the students using the “white” cheer could cause confusion, especially for road games when the East Hampton team wears their blue uniforms.
The same superintendent confirmed that the cheer wasn’t banned and that they were just suggesting students use caution when deciding how they choose to support their school teams.
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