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Racism in Columbia County Georgia: I sit here writing this email, tears pour from my eyes just thinking about how my son have been mistreated for about a month.
On Thursday, 1 April 2010, I visited Lakeside High School (LHS), Evans, GA to report the racial slurs said to my son. I initially released an email to the LHS baseball coach, Mr. Shelton, as well as, the LHS Principle, Mr. Carney, on the evening of 31 March at 8:56pm which briefly mentioned the need to speak with them in person to address the treatment of my son as a player on the baseball team.
Mr. Carney responded indicating he was unable to meet with me but he will have others available during Mr. Shelton's planning period. Attendees at the meeting were I, Darlene Hall; Assistant Principle, Tim Reeves; Athletic Director Mr. Burch; and Baseball Coach/Social Studies Teacher, Mr. Shelton. There were several topics discussed regarding Mr. Shelton's comments he had made during a conversation with my husband the day before, his coaching style, and the disciplinary actions he had taken against my son the previous week. As the conversation proceeded, there were many indications that pointed in the direction of racism, which was ultimately the root cause of my meeting request.
I further explained that my son had informed me that several players on the baseball team were continually harassing him and throwing out racial slurs. To mention a few, my son told me that one of the children motioned as if he were wrapping a noose around his neck and then pulling it. Again, motioning I'm going to kill you as they sat in Latin class. In my opinion, this is a threat on my son's life. Another example is when my son walked into the baseball locker room and one of the players stated, "Why are you walking over here ###?" Then the assistant coach replied, "Hey, I don't want to hear that anymore". Another such incident occurred when my son was fielding a ball and he sneezed. The player on the field next to him responded and said, "###, you didn't get permission to sneeze. The next time you need to sneeze you need to get permission". I can go on and on as this have been occurring since the beginning of the baseball season.
I made immediate contact with the Columbian County Board of Education and spoke with the Assistant Superintendent, Sandra Carraway, [protected], ext. 5206. She assured me that Columbia County didn't condone such behavior and the situation would be investigated. I certainly have doubts about that.
After talking with the Board of Education and meeting with the representatives from Lakeside High School, I then visited the Columbia County Sheriff's Office at which time I filed a report with Officer Joseph Anderson. Officer Anderson and I discussed the racial slurs, he wrote nothing down and I even asked the officer if he knew the individuals named. His response was no. At the conclusion of the discussion I was provided Report #[protected]. I've attempted to retrieve the final report from the on-line web site, but have been unsuccessful as there is no record of the report number. Suspicions indicate that something is not right. This places everyone in a precarious situation. The good old boy network is at work again.
These types of incidents are not acceptable in today's society. As I mentioned to those I've spoken with, if my child's temperament had been different I sincerely believe Columbia County Georgia would be dealing with a violent situation. I do not send my child to school to get bullied, harassed or called out of his birth name.
This situation brings additional concerns to light regarding many Columbia County Schools. There is a large percentage of children attending Lakeside High School and their parents are a part of the faculty staff, or they volunteer every day or they have some sort of direct tie to the school. Unofficially I've been told that many incidents are swept under the rug and silenced to prevent public attacks. The concerted efforts to keep out the unknown exist amongst the Columbia County parents and students alike as the notion is that people of color should not be playing baseball. Moreover, it's appalling to witness such outwardly displayed actions towards those considered to be on the "outside". It's very obvious that racial slurs are spoken loosely around the students that display this type of behavior, but it is not acceptable. Unequivocally, enough is enough!
I recommend a thorough Federal, State, and Local investigation is conducted in Columbia County School System as there could be many skeletons coming out of the closet on this one. This includes skepticism with the local law enforcement as well.
I mentioned during the meeting with LHS, I strongly recommend Diversity/Sensitivity training become mandatory for coaches, teachers, or even the athletic participants if it is not a requirement today. I would also recommend that the baseball season at LHS is suspended for next year, 2011. There is simply no accountability in the way the athletic program, specifically at LHS. As such, Columbia County should understand that this situation should not be taken lightly.
As we all know bullying cases have drastically increased within schools across our nation and it's obvious that racial discrimination still exists in the South. I will not stand by and accept the way my son is being treated as he does not deserve it. This is AMERICA and everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity no matter what color you are.
Darlene Ward-Hall
