Students at the Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, staged a protest last Wednesday to register their displeasure over another student handing out “White privilege cards.”
According to FOX23, several people labeled the incident as racist. The cards in question are on sale on Amazon. And though the cards have been circulating across the United States as well as in some areas in Oklahoma, the handing out of the cards at the high school was the first time they were seen in Sand Springs.
Some students in the school were also said to have handed out the cards. The card read: “White Privilege Trumps Everything. Member since birth. Good thru death. Card holder, Scott Free.”
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A student identified as Fabian Gaytan told the news outlet that someone handed the card out to him on August 30. Gaytan also said he was called a racial slur when the card was given to him.
The August 31 incident came after a student at the school shared a Snapchat post where he offered a cash reward for the capture of a Black student and referred to him as a slave. A student by the name Shawnna Davis said they staged protests because they had had enough of such racist incidents at the school.
“It makes me feel horrible. They shouldn’t have to go through this. It doesn’t matter what your race is, your gender, or sexuality,” said Davis.
Responding to the incident, Sand Springs School District Superintendent Sherry Durkee said the student behind the distribution of the cards had been “dealt with.”
“This district, our values are pretty high and we’d never put out a card like this. We dealt with the student. We were able to investigate. It’s being handled now,” Durkee said.
A parent who spoke to FOX23 said that issues pertaining to racism in Sand Springs have been prevalent for years. She also said parents and staff have to do more to prevent such occurrences.
“I send my kids here because they’re safe, because it’s a good thing for them to have an education, but this right here makes you not want to send your kids to school at all. You can’t know they’re safe. Bullying is what kills most children. They commit suicide,” Jessica Hernandez said.
Durkee also said the views raised by students are important, and she has been giving an ear to the concerns of everyone. “We know we serve a population high in poverty and diverse culturally as well, so it’s important to listen to kids and understand what they’re thinking,” Durkee said, adding that an app that allows parents and students to report issues has been made available.
