Video Of White Girls Mocking Black History Month Sparks Investigation At Philadelphia School

Several racist videos and images of similar nature surfaced online during the ongoing Black History month, sparking an investigation into three students at Philadelphia’s Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls.

The school became aware of the videos Tuesday after which the material was deleted, however, screenshots and recordings of the same have continued to float on social media platforms. One of the videos shows a girl spraying black paint on the face of another girl while yelling, “You’re a Black girl. You know your roots, it’s February!” NBC10 reported.

“You’re nothing but a slave,” the White girl is heard saying in the disturbing video.

The videos and images include a White girl in blackface, while another made racist comments, and said the N-word. The girl was wearing a durag and said, “I got the durag on, I got the power to say [N-word].” Other phrases include, “I’m Black and I’m proud,” CBS reported.

The students involved in the videos have been excluded from classes while the school along with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia actively investigate the situation. The school issued a statement and ensured necessary action will be taken.

“We view racism as a mortal sin,” the statement co-signed by school President Lizanne Pando and Principal Gina MacKenzie read. “There is no place for it in our hearts and minds and there is no tolerance for such behavior at Saint Hubert’s.”

The statement continued, “We are extremely disappointed to learn that anyone associated with Saint Hubert’s would act in such a manner, which is entirely inconsistent with our values,” adding that “those responsible will be disciplined appropriately in accordance with our school handbook.”

According to a statement from a parent, the school has a racism problem and she had to pull her daughter out of the junior year due to a “lot of microaggressions” faced by Black students at the hands of white kids. These include mocking and hair-pulling, along with being called the N-word.

The ethnicity-based breakup of students studying across 217 public schools in the Philadelphia City School District is — 47% Black students, and 15% white students.

Demonstrations were held outside the Holmesburg-based school Wednesday. The Archdiocese announced classes will be held virtually through the rest of the week in light of threats being made against the St. Hubert’s school community.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission has offered to provide the school with bias and cultural sensitivity training for staff and students alike. NAACP’s Philadelphia branch said it was drafting a letter to the school to ask for increased education on Black History.