Bremen High School, located in a town in Georgia which goes by the same name, has come under major scrutiny for not handling racism at the school after a student, Treavor Smith, found a racist note on a restroom door. The note read: “WHITES ONLY. If not, use other bathroom.”
According to the student, racism is prevalent at the high school and he was fed up by the inaction of administrators.
“I brought this to light because it’s not the first time that racism has taken over our school,” Trevor, who is white, said.
https://twitter.com/Treavor_Smith_/status/1121474754383437824
The note was reminiscent of the Jim Crow South where bathrooms, restaurants, and other public areas were segregated by race. It also appears to have highlighted a larger issue at the Bremen High School.
The school’s racial makeup is about the same as the small town in which it’s located. 81% of the school is white and 9% Black which is incredibly lower than Georgia’s state average of being 59% Black. The town in Georgia has roughly the same numbers with respect to demographics. It’s 83% white and almost 14% Black, respectively.
Students and alumni saw Treavor Smith’s post via social media and immediately shared their thoughts about the situation.
An alumn, Jacob Miles, apparently has no issue with racism at the school.
I love being an alumni of Bremen High School and seeing the blue and white associated with racism! Way to go guys! Go devils!!
— Jacob Miles (@Jacob4Miles) April 26, 2019
A mother of a Black student, who attends Bremen High School, alluded to racism being “nothing new’ at the school via her personal Facebook. In fact, she blamed the escalation and incident on the administration’s lack of action.
Bremen High School Principal Tim Huff refused to any answer questions regarding the incident but he provided a statement regarding the events that transpired.
“We have investigated the incident, determined who placed the message in the restroom and are administering consequences. [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act] prevents me from providing further details about the discipline.”
The school did “condemn” the note but also expressed that it was a “fabrication” meant to “incite a response around an extremely sensitive topic.” In essence, the administration is saying racism is not a problem but a talking point.
The principal did say that all students involved had been punished.
“Upon further investigation, the high school administration discovered that the widely publicized incident from yesterday was, in fact, a fabrication. The orchestrated behavior was intended to incite a response around an extremely sensitive topic. The student(s) involved are being dealt with in terms of discipline. It does not appear the sign was ever posted for students to see.”
The point of the matter is this is not only an administrative issue but an issue with parents who teach their children to be racist.
