NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo is threatening “the most severe action possible” after Talk of the Sound published a video containing despicable racist behavior by New Rochelle students.
A popular Facebook group in New Rochelle, Mom’s of New Rochelle, is more commonly known as a place to share recommendations for babysitters, promote school events and sell used furniture and clothing. Today, it lit up with controversy after one of the members posted a video filled with racist remarks created by clicking through Instagram photos and Tik Tok videos.
The video depicts brief videos, text messages and images where students — all those depicted appear to be white — mock or insult African-Americans in derogatory and racist terms.
According to group members, the video has been repeatedly posted to expose the bad behavior then removed by administrators.
One Mom’s of New Rochelle member says a complaint was filed with the City School District of New Rochelle.
City School District of New Rochelle officials did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
UPDATE: Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo has issued a statement. This story has been updated to reflect her statement.
“We are horrified to have learned about a vicious act of racism in the District perpetrated on social media, involving the vilest of ethnic slurs and invective,” said Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo.
“Videos of students, some of whom attend Albert Leonard Middle School, have been seen on platforms including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and others using offensive racial slurs,” Feijóo said. “We have the names of some of the students and we are investigating this matter.”
Statement by Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo
We are horrified to have learned about a vicious act of racism in the District perpetrated on social media, involving the vilest of ethnic slurs and invective.
Videos of students, some of whom attend Albert Leonard Middle School, have been seen on platforms including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and others using offensive racial slurs. We have the names of some of the students and we are investigating this matter.
This type of hurtful, destructive behavior is reprehensible and is certainly unacceptable anywhere in the City School District of New Rochelle. We are investigating this incident and will take the most severe action possible in response.
Every act of hatred and tolerance must be denounced in the strongest terms. This shameful incident compounds and brings closer to home the anger, pain, and frustration that we in New Rochelle, and communities around the world, are experiencing from the recent murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In response to that horrific act, and the deep feelings it has stirred in New Rochelle, we are holding Healing Circles for middle and high school students all week, facilitated by social workers and teachers equipped to help students process these traumatic events.
I urge you to encourage your children to join the Healing Circles or to speak to a school counselor. Also, if you are experiencing any difficulty as a result of these incidents, please feel free to call our hotline (914) 336-7800.
New Rochelle is a wonderful community where we build on the strength of our diversity and we appreciate the many gifts contributed by residents of all backgrounds and ethnicities. We will not allow any incident of hate to dampen our spirits. We continue to stand together.
In partnership,
Sincerely,
Dr. Laura Feijóo
Superintendent
Statement by ALMS Principal John Barnes
Dear ALMS Students,
I am writing with a very heavy heart and usually at this time of the school year we are working on our end of the year celebrations. I am not going to lie when I say that it is impossible to feel celebratory when I am seeing all the things that are happening in our nation and specifically right here in our ALMS community. We are so much better and so much more than the horrific things that I have seen, and that have also been made public recently. Yet, we are also clearly in desperate need to do better and more. We will be asking you to provide some feedback in the form of an open ended survey at the end of this message.
We as a school community will not tolerate acts of hate, racism, and any actions that compromise the safety or dignity of others. This includes social media posts and use, email communications, and how you are choosing to use your cell phones and your access to technology. We support and encourage student voices and encourage our students to serve as upstanders, to stand up for what is right. We do not support students using their influence to encourage violence or to intimidate, threaten, or harass others. We urge students to report any information they have (confidentially) that will help us to ensure the safety and welfare of our entire community.
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Consider this: Growing up in the 70s, most white people were racist. My parents, born in the 1930s, were racist. They were brought into a racist America and they perpetuated racism. They used that word in a way that was awful, hurtful and ugly.
My parents did not die racist. They were educated out of it — wholely and sincerely — gradually and completely. That word fell into disuse, and I never heard the word again for many decades until AA people went around calling each that. I thought it was awful and still do.
The children of white people today usually have never even heard that word. Usually, when they learn it, it is in the context that “you should never say this.” They hear it in public school. It is like a curse word. It appears in some of these videos that they are just saying it for the sake of saying it. They are not calling any particular person that word.
I don’t think you can assume their parents are teaching the to be racist. I don’t think its completely harmless, but to single them out? Almost taunt them in public? Promise the most severe consequences?
Ask any one of these kids’ friends if they are racist, or if they made a bad mistake. People don’t understand that the people who are “exposing” these kids are not doing any justice to anyone. Because at the end of the day, what does exposing kids who are 12-14 years old do for the movement. You have to look at the bigger picture. You can not try to knock them down person by person. We need unity. This isn’t helping that.
I would have to respectfully disagree with your statement.
Culturally, the word is not derogatory for people within the AA community. When a derivative of a word is STOLEN and used against us as a derogatory term, that was an issue. Why would I stop using a word that belongs within my community because someone outside my community uses it and the white history of the word is derogatory? Also, if you do not know the history of the word why are you using it? Because a song (outside of your community) uses it and you like that? Poor excuse.
People are quick to say “this word is used loosely” but it’s not. It’s a used within a community who knows the true meaning of the word and it’s derivative. When other races use our word…they do not have that same knowledge of the work hence making it derogatory and offensive. They are using it based on the derogatory term that was used to abuse us in the AA community It’s should not be a stopped by everyone it should be stopped by the people who’s history of using it is derogatory
At the end of this video a screenshot of a notification of my daughters comment back to these people who want to expose racism only ended up in her being bullied without knowing my family is of African descent. Therefore unnecessarily being added to their efforts to expose white kids who use the N word. I just like the rest of the parents will go to the fullest extent to make sure the investigation of those who decided to go out of their way to speak on my daughter without even knowing where she is from and her descendants.
lmao, don’t even get me started on the segregation within the High School “Houses.” Glad to see these issues being brought up. A lot of shit going on in New Ro. When walking by the Temple during their worshiping days, the cops who stand outside stopped me and asked why I was there, and what business I had doing here….
I’m not surprised. I live among racist families in my coop complex whose children attend our schools. Racism is taught.
Racism is learned-so this can only be fixed by the people who are raising these students. We, in the AA community put our armour on and teach our children to do the same when they walk out into the world. The irony of this for me and the African American students here in New Rochelle is the expectation that his will be fixed, handled and or addressed by our superintendent who has used her white privelage to also advance. So, no she hasn’t called names but used the system on her behalf to win and this is why we are marching, protesting and fighting. If she reads this I recommend she gets a representative to handle tris very serious issue as she is not capable to effectively speak and or fight for my kids who are in the New Rochelle Schools.
People cannot be surprised at this. This has always gone on in New Rochelle.
It’s all very sad and wrong. If the word is to be offensive, it needs to stopped being used by everyone. When rappers or those that find it offensive use it and you here it everyday, it becomes an everyday word. Am so not saying it agreeing in any manner that it is ok, just pointing out that it’s so often used not even in a derogatory way. Just like the F word. If I say F you, it’s mean. But when used like what the F ?
Or no F’n way it’s just another word.
Sadly the N word is used just like it. White kids don’t used it in a derogatory way most of the time. It’s the way it’s used is when you can clearly see their meaning. Like the two boys rapping, they were only repeating what they here in the music they enjoy. I don’t know how to stop it from being used, bc it’s a word that you here all day in school from those that oppose the word.
I was called a nigger by one of my classmates in Webster and nothing happened. It’s good to see that they are going to do something about it.
Ignorant Little Children.This Was Taught To Them.Going To Grow Up To Be Racist Cause Their Parents Probably Taught Them.