(LOS ANGELES – 12/12/2019) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today welcomed the decision by Santa Margarita Catholic High School to expel a student for posting a racist video to the social media app Snapchat.
According to KCAL/9, on Tuesday, Dec. 17, the student posted a three-second video of an African American family taking a tour of the private school, located in Rancho Santa Margarita. The student captioned the video with the words “Stupid Cotton Pickers,” in reference to enslaved Africans being forced to pick cotton on plantations.
The school acted swiftly, expelling the student the next day, due to what the Diocese of Orange said was a “clear contradiction to the views and values of Santa Margarita Catholic High School.”
WATCH: Student Expelled From Orange County Catholic School After Sharing Racist Video
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“We applaud Santa Margarita Catholic High School and the Diocese of Orange for responding to this incident of bigotry quickly and decisively. It is unfortunate to see young adults emulate hatred that passed down from older generations.
“We stand in solidarity with the African American community and all other targeted minorities against the continuing trend of the normalization of hatred. This normalization has found its way into our schools and places of worship and has emboldened bigots in their speech as well as their actions. We must continue to stand in solidarity with and defend our fellow community members in saying xenophobia and bigotry in any form are unacceptable.”
The diocese said it would be talking about the incident at the school and encouraged parents to talk with their children about the video and the message conveyed.
CAIR-California recently released a new report documenting faith-based bullying and discrimination of Muslim students in California schools. The report surveyed approximately 1,500 Muslim students between the ages of 11 and 18 who were enrolled in public and private schools statewide, revealing Muslim students are bullied at more than twice the rate of the national statistic.
READ: Singled Out: Islamophobia in the Classroom and the Impact of Discrimination on Muslim Students
https://ca.cair.com/losangeles/publications/cair-ca-bullying-report-2019/
Ayloush urged community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights Department at 714-776-1177 or by filing a report at: https://bit.ly/2L9Ezsw.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Manager Eugene W. Fields, 714-851-4851 or efields@cair.com