In Mississippi, it’s apparently a crime to express pride for a child who accomplishes an outstanding goal. According to WREG, four parents were arrested for cheering for their kids as they received high school diplomas.
The incident took place at the Senatobia High graduation. Before the ceremony, attendees were asked to hold their applause until every student received their diploma. However, four parents were so overjoyed that they decided to cheer for their kids. Moments later, the parents were arrested and escorted out of the building by police.
Furthermore, Senatobia’s Superintendent Jay Foster filed disturbing the peace charges against the parents who cheered during the graduation. The parents must pay a $500 fine or they will face jail time.
It’s obviously a waste of time, resources, and tax payers’ money, but it’s not surprising that the law is being used to implement overt racism.
Mississippi is a state that only graduates 69 percent of its Black students. It also has the nation’s highest poverty rate, according to the U.S. Census department. In Mississippi, if you were born in poverty, there is a good chance that you will die in poverty.
So when one child is able to rise above the difficulties of living in such an environment, that child should be able to experience joy from his or her family.
But Foster’s filing of criminal charges proves that some Whites in America still aren’t comfortable with Black progression. It goes beyond an attempt to “maintain order” at a high school graduation. The criminal charges are just another way to punish Black people for merely existing.
