We just went through this in my home town a few weeks ago. There was a dress up day at school and many white kids dressed up as "wangsters" (white gangsters) and they wore overly baggy pants with the boxers showing along with big baggy jerseys and shirts and then topped it off with a sideways cocked hat. Needless to say the few blacks we have at the school started screaming racism and such and made a scene. Of course the school officials decided to quick step in before a lawsuit from an oversealous lawyer came flying and they made a statement to the media and made the term "wangster" into "wigger". I guess looking at them, it would definately change the perception of what really happaned. The comments section was chauk full of interesting takes on the situation as well as a few morons posting when they shouldn't. The basic jest I got was more of the fact that people wear clothes. Who decides if they "belong" to a certain race and others can't wear them without being titled a racist? It goes well beyond stupid. The other thing I caught was that it seems certain people within our community seem to be crybabies and look for things to bitch about to get attention. It's funny how they can have things like Black Colleges, Black Scholorships, Black Entertainment Television, and other things designed for blacks, but if ol' whitey thinks about this, he'll get sued for hurting someones feelings. Sometimes I feel as if the REVERSE Rasism in this country is 2x the regular racism
http://www.republican-eagle.com/event/article/id/62032/
Some Red Wing High School students struck a racial nerve last week, drawing a stern rebuke from members of the black community and school administration.
Dozens of students on Wednesday donned clothing and exhibited behavior that black students found demeaning, said LaVergne Dickerson, advocacy coordinator for the African American Literacy Project of Red Wing.
"'Wigger Day' or Wangster Day,' terms translated to 'Winger Nigger' and 'Winger Gangster Day' were interpreted to be a mocking of low-class African American citizens," she said, reading from a letter at Monday's Red Wing School Board meeting.
Principal Beth Borgen said 60 or 70 white students — upperclassmen boys and girls — wore doo rags, ball caps cocked to one side, oversized sports jerseys and shorts, and low-slung pants. The look is popular in hip-hop culture.
Borgen confirmed the day is referred to among students as "Wednesday Wigger Day."
Dickerson said the school's students of color expressed shame following the "mocking of culture and ethnicity."
"Yes, this did happen last Wednesday and the last couple years," she said.
Borgen said students taking part in the unsanctioned activity were rounded up and told to comply with school dress code policy. Almost all did, she said. The prior two years of "Wangsta Day" also have required students to comply with dress code, she said.
Students taking part in the act last week knew it was inappropriate, Borgen said, noting that many students had changes of clothes in their vehicles and lockers.
"I as a principal do not want to see this behavior continue," she said. "I was shocked and appalled."
Maxine Pruitt said her daughter, a high school senior, came home Wednesday in tears. It was the second time the so-called "Wangsta Day" had elicited such a response in her daughter, Pruitt said.
"It is hard for children to learn when they're being ostracized for their color," said Pruitt, who is black.
Pruitt called the act "heinous" and said she was shocked such behavior continues in the present day.
"This is not still the 50s and 40s," she said.
School Board Chairman Mitch Boldt condemned the behavior, saying some parents may need to be spoken with — depending on the severity of their children's behavior.
"Parents are responsible," he said. "This is happening in our community and it's not acceptable."
Dickerson and Pruitt called for action from school leaders to ensure the behavior doesn't continue. Dickerson said school leaders should seek to learn from the offended students why last week's incident was troubling.
She also suggested Red Wing students become educated culturally on the contributions of America's black leaders, saying "African Americans are not what they see in the music videos."
School Board member Heidi Jones called the incident "rotten," but expressed satisfaction that discussion on cultural issues had begun.
"I see we're already having that dialog," Jones said. "That's the grandest first step."
Supt. Stan Slessor agreed something should be done. He said the education system is focused so strongly on core subjects that issues like cultural awareness can be pushed to the background.
"We have pockets of doing some good things. We don't have a systematic way," Slessor said, calling for a "connected approach" to weave cultural education into the curriculum.
Then they continue to pursue the problem as they feel they need more attention
http://www.republican-eagle.com/event/article/id/62190/Events like last month's controversial Wangster Day may be a thing of the past if a small group of Red Wing High School students has anything to say about it.
The group met Tuesday to address fallout from the so-called "Wangster" or "Wigger" Day, which prompted concern from school officials and members of Red Wing's black community.
Officials condemned the actions of students who wore hip-hop attire at an unsanctioned homecoming-week activity after black leaders called the event a mockery of African American culture.
Tuesday's student-only meeting laid the groundwork for a new organization, tentatively titled Togetherness and Awareness Makes Greatness, class President Erik Lewis said.
He said students are hoping the program has a lasting impact in promoting race relations and is looking to recruit younger members. The eight-person group - comprised equally of black and white students - discussed Wangster Day, then moved on.
"We didn't want that to be what drove us in the future," he said.
But while students say progress is being made to learn from the incident and put controversy behind them, those efforts haven't put a lid on the situation in the community.
Apology sought
Maxine Pruitt said she wants an apology from school administration for not putting an end to the student-organized event earlier.
Pruitt, whose daughter - a high school senior - told her of the event, also wants the district to send out letters to parents that describe the incident and call for an end to future Wangster Days.
That's not out of the question, School Board Chairman Mitch Boldt said. Whatever the solution is, he said the key will be making sure it's a learning process for all.
"I don't think there's any magic bullet," he said. "There's a lot of dynamics that are involved in this situation. A single, broad-stroke policy isn't going to address them."
Human Rights Commissioner Lois Burns called for stronger policy at the school, calling Wangster Day discriminatory. Administration must carry out a consistent response and anticipate incidents happening, she said.
The Sept. 30 Wangster Day was at least the third such event of its kind, students and school officials said.
Boldt said many kids have joined in on the activity in recent years without giving much thought to it. He said that may included some of his children as well.
"There's nobody that's immune to it, that's for sure," Boldt said.
'An ignorant thing'
Senior Dionte Emerson hopes those who participated in the day see it as a mistake and that the school moves on from it.
"I think it made our school look bad when it shouldn't have, because it's not that big of a deal," Emerson said.
He said another student asked him in advance if he wanted to participate in Wangster Day.
"I told them that I thought it was an ignorant thing to do and, no, I wasn't going to," he said.
Emerson, who is black, said he didn't think participating students did it to be hurtful. But that didn't mean it wasn't offensive, he said.
That happened when Wangster Day mutated into "Wigger Day," he said.
"Wangster" is a term sometimes used to describe a poseur-gangster. The local iteration of the term is a blend of "Winger" and "gangster," according to members of the African American Literacy Project of Red Wing.
The word "wigger" is often used as a derogatory term for white people who adopt black culture. Part of the word draws from a racial epithet used against black people.
"It's a choice to be a gangster but you can't choose your race, so in my opinion, that was what (was) hurtful," Emerson said.
More awareness?
A grassroots effort to enhance Red Wing's cultural awareness appears under way. AALP advocacy coordinator LaVergne Dickerson apprised city officials of the situation Monday, calling for greater cultural education.
City Council member Lisa Bayley agreed, saying she received several complaints from citizens.
"I will be a part of it," she said.
But School Board member Mike Christensen said events like the city's Diversity Festival already serve that need.
He said he knows some of the kids who were involved in Wangster Day. None of those students did it with the intent to upset others, he said.
"They were not trying to offend anyone," he said.
Still, Christensen applauded student efforts to heal any racial divide at the school. Students self-policing the situation is the only effective means to addressing the matter, he said.
"Everything else is static," Christensen said.
But for Pruitt's daughter Quera Pruitt, the wound is still fresh.
"It's that (they) called it Wigger Day," she said. "It's so close to 'nigger' it hurts."
The high school senior who attended Tuesday's student meeting wondered whether any efforts would have a lasting effect.
"We came up with some good ideas," she said.
Boldt said he hopes to forge a combination of student-focused action and administrative measures.
"I would hope it's a series of communications that will make the difference," Boldt said.
The comments section alone makes for worthwhile reading.
lol, things often fly right over my head!
