You really have to wonder what 18-year-old high school student Noah Crowley of Sarasota, Florida was thinking when he wrote “If I was black, I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white, so I’m picking u 4 prom” on a sign, and what the girl he sent it to was thinking when she captioned the photo with a heart emoji while publicizing it on Snapchat.
Were they thinking this is funny, fine, cute? Most everyone else at Riverview High School and across America condemned it, not just because it was unfunny, not fine and in poor taste, but because it’s “why racism is still a thing.”
The promposal photo sparked outrage on social media, with some calling for Crowley to be disciplined by the school — and hoping he is banned from attending the prom.
Others hope to ruin Crowley’s future over the sign.
At least one Riverview High School alum spoke out about this as well.
According to the Herald-Tribune, the school district is investigating the sign and considering disciplinary action.
“Although this message is one student’s opinion, we take the matter of racial relations and school safety seriously, and we look forward to working with our students and these outside groups to have a meaningful and informative dialogue and expanded curriculum related to this important national topic,” the district said in a statement.
The school also said in a robocall to parents Monday that it “does not condone or support the message conveyed in [Crowley’s] post.”