Civility is the answer for an offensive defense
This story was first published by Deseret News on October 6, 2017.
A video that has been shared widely on social media shows disturbing footage of students at a Woods Cross High School football game last Friday night. In the short video, a cardboard cutout of President Trump is hoisted overhead while students chant, “Build that wall!” Some students can also be seen making the “OK” hand signal, which has been associated with alt-right leaders who promote white supremacy.
Some Woods Cross students and parents have minimized the incident, claiming that the chant had no racial or political overtones and was simply being used as a football cheer — “Build that wall!” meaning, build a wall of defense.
But some of the school’s Hispanic students felt targeted. Several of them asked the chanting students to stop, but they didn’t. Enough people were upset by the incident that the Davis School District issued a formal statement on Monday:
“It has come to our attention that a student-led chant has led to some serious concerns in our community. Many introspective discussions have taken place at Woods Cross High since that time, and school administrators, as well as students involved in the chant, apologize for it and will move forward in a greater effort to treat everyone with respect and kindness.”
We greatly appreciate the willingness of the school district to acknowledge the seriousness of the issue and even apologize for the hurt caused. This is a good beginning. What we would like to know now is, how do they plan to “move forward in a greater effort to treat everyone with respect and kindness.” What we hope is that they will do the hard but necessary work of helping students learn to evaluate, contextualize, empathize and act (or not act) deliberately. This will require much more than a canned, politically correct apology or another new policy that no one really knows about or understands.
The fact that this happened in the first place is an indication that this kind of divisive rhetoric and behavior is being so normalized in our country that it is directly affecting our young people, many of whom are completely unaware of the larger political context and the damaging impact of their words and actions.
We urge the Davis School Board and the administrators and teachers at Woods Cross High to use this unfortunate event as a catalyst for real change and as an opportunity to do some vital instruction. We don’t think that these kids should be punished, but we do think they should be educated.
Furthermore, as mothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, teachers and youth leaders in this community, we plead with all parents, school administrators and educators everywhere to speak boldly and forthrightly with the children and teenagers in your charge about the harmfulness of hateful rhetoric. It is our responsibility to teach them to avoid all forms of immorality, including racism. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to shield our children from prejudice, hatred and divisiveness. We must openly and explicitly teach them what these things are, that they are wrong, and then give them tools to combat them.
We encourage all citizens of this great nation to join us in making a deliberate effort to educate ourselves, each other and our children, and then to elevate the level of respectful discourse in our homes, our schools, our communities and our government. This is a battle we all must fight. We can be the change we seek. We must be.
Sharlee Mullins Glenn is the founder of Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG), a nonpartisan, grass-roots organization of over 5,000 women dedicated to the ideals of decency, honor, accountability, transparency and justice in governing. MWEG is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
