Black cheerleader quits squad after Alabama team poses with Confederate shirt
Reagan Coleman was one of only two Black cheerleaders at Daphne High School
Six white Alabama high school cheerleaders are under fire after a picture of them posed with a Confederate flag T-shirt prompted a Black teammate to quit.
According to WKRG, Reagan Coleman, who was one of only two Black cheerleaders at Daphne High School, quit the team on the first day of practice after coaches and school officials failed to address a disturbing picture of her teammates.
READ MORE: Georgia students threatened with suspension for exposing unsafe COVID-19 practices
In the July 4 photo, half a dozen cheerleaders are seen proudly holding up a t-shirt featuring a confederate flag along with the declaration, “I love Redneck Boys.”
“No matter how much I love something, no matter how passionate I am about something, I love myself more and I respect myself more and I could not be on that team,” Coleman said of her decision to quit after the revelation of the picture led to “no consequences” for the girls.
“I went from the coach to the principal, from the principal to the superintendent,” Coleman’s mother, Latitiah, told WKRG. “And I kept getting vague answers. It was almost like everybody was reading a script.”
READ MORE: YouTuber Jackie Aina to produce ‘Social Beauty’ documentary with Black influencers
The teen has since created an online petition demanding administrators address racial bias on the team.
“They have faced remotely no consequences and are still on Daphne’s Cheer Team,” reads the petition, which has already been signed by over 10,000 people as of Tuesday. “I have since quit the team due to their carelessness and inactivity. I am not trying to ignite hate on these girls, I just simply want everyone to see what Daphne High School allows.”
Coleman said that society was now in a time when Black voices were being heard.
“We’re being felt, we’re being seen. So I knew this couldn’t go unheard about,” Coleman said.
“I knew I needed to share this story not for me or how I felt about the picture, but because of the other Black children that may be silenced by white administrators like these.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
More About:News
You Might Like
