Lincoln-Way East Students Walk Out to Protest Racist Taunting

About 50 students at Lincoln-Way East High School walked out of class on Wednesday to protest racist taunting at two recent sports events. The taunting targeted students and fans from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, known as H-F. Students took part even though they were warned they could receive an unexcused absence or other discipline. They wanted to send a clear message that racism is not welcome in their school or community.

Junior Leia Andrews admitted she was unsure the walkout would succeed. She struggled to convince some classmates it would matter. When students marched past the field house and saw a crowd of supporters cheering and honking their horns, though, Andrews beamed with pride alongside friends Dannedy Sellers and Zainab Iqbal. 'To honk your horn, that shows you're here supporting us,' Sellers said.

Principal Toriano Griggs emailed families on Tuesday to say a school resource officer would monitor the walkout to keep everyone safe. He also warned that student participants could face discipline for an unexcused absence. Griggs encouraged students to share their concerns with administrators instead. Some students did meet with school leaders before deciding to walk out.

Sellers described the racist taunting at Friday's football game as 'a hate crime' that reveals deep-rooted racism in the district. Her brother had warned her before she enrolled at Lincoln-Way East that it could be a difficult place for minority students. 'I know racism is everywhere, but it's still disgusting to see it from your peers,' Sellers said. She expressed hope that school leaders would take students' concerns seriously after incidents at both the football game and a Saturday cross country meet.

H-F reported that a Lincoln-Way East coach told the team to run 'past those monkeys' before the cross country race began. H-F said some team members then made racist sounds and gestures. A Lincoln-Way spokesperson said the coach was referring to a section of the course called 'the jungle' and that the cross country team was unaware of the football game incident. The Illinois High School Sports Association announced it had opened a formal investigation into the matter.

The Illinois High School Sports Association said every student-athlete deserves a safe and respectful environment to compete. 'Demeaning words and actions will not be tolerated,' the group stated. H-F's school board expressed outrage over both incidents and threatened to take legal action. Frankfort Mayor Keith Ogle also released a statement saying the behavior shown in a viral video was 'not condoned,' though he left disciplinary decisions to school officials.

Lincoln-Way District 210 confirmed that five students were removed from the football game and that none of them were players on the team. The district said it could not release the students' names or describe the punishment they received. Spokesperson Jen Vujosevic repeated that the district does not accept the students' actions in any way.

State Representative Will Davis, whose daughter attends H-F as a freshman, came out Wednesday to support the student protesters. He said he is watching carefully to see how Lincoln-Way handles discipline for those responsible. 'Are they just going to give them a pass and say they were just kids being kids? We're in a day and age where that just doesn't cut it,' Davis said. He praised the Lincoln-Way students who walked out, saying they are showing the kind of leadership the next generation needs.