A California high school is grappling with a wave of racist posts online made by their students centered around a black doll named “Shaniqua.”
Several students at Salinas High School created an Instagram account titled, “Shaniqua.shs.” The page featured 37 posts showing mostly white students posing with the “Shaniqua” doll alongside racist captions and comments. In several posts, white students are seen stomping on the toy and calling it racist names, including the n-word.
During a Friday night football jamboree, more students and some parents were made aware of the doll as it was passed around during the game. The following day, the IG account had been reported to the Salinas Union High School District officials. The account only had about 70 followers when it was deleted. However, screenshots have continued to circulate among the student body at Salinas High.
On Sunday, a change.org petition demanded that the school address the racist account and students passing around the doll to create harmful images. As of Tuesday, over 10,500 people had signed the petition.
“Schools are supposed to be a safe place for students to learn academically, and respect should be taught. Students cannot learn and be in a safe environment if they’re surrounded by people who will spread hate towards them because of their skin color,” the petition read.
The Salinas Union High School District released a statement the same day, where they slammed the racism taking place in the school and confirmed that an investigation would be taking place.
“Racism and racial injustice are in direct opposition to the District’s values. Our District will continue our efforts to show that racism and racial injustice have no place in our schools,” the statement read. The district is now offering on-site counseling to any student that may need it.
The Monterey County NAACP has also gotten involved and says they are “saddened and outraged” by the student’s actions, some of which are a part of student leadership. The organization has since met with the principal to develop a solution to the racism within the school.
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