This story was originally produced by Manchester Ink Link. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative. We have edited the original piece for length and clarity.
A racist “homecoming proposal” posted by a Trinity High School senior on social media has stirred outrage, especially among the school’s and city’s Black community.
Ronelle Tshiela, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Manchester, said the many people in Manchester’s Black community are outraged after the student posted a photo of himself with a girl, who is not a Trinity student, holding a sign with a racist message that referenced slavery.
Tshiela took a screenshot of the posting from the student’s social media account before it was deleted and reposted it on the BLM Manchester Instagram page. WMUR later confirmed with Trinity’s football coach that the student is on the team.
Manchester Ink Link reached out to the school for comment, but did not get a response. Thursday night, Trinity President Nathan Stanton apologized to all affected by the social media post. The statement he issued said, in part: “We received a report this afternoon that one of our students made an extremely inappropriate post on social media. Student disciplinary action is confidential, but I can assure you that swift, appropriate action has been taken as this type of behavior does not reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church or the Mission of Trinity High School."
His statement continued: “This behavior was unexpected and unbecoming of a Trinity student. While I am disappointed this happened, I am grateful this has been brought to our attention so we can continue to form students in faith, virtue, and character in partnership with parents. On behalf of our entire administration team, I would like to apologize to all who are affected by this social media post.”
Tshiela said the sister of her roommate, who is Black and a graduate of Trinity, currently attends Trinity and told her of the posting. She said the school’s Black students are afraid to speak out publicly.
“I was disappointed, but not surprised because I have friends that went to this school, and I’m also a graduate of a school in Manchester and we’ve seen things like this happen before, so it’s not the first time,” Tshiela said. “I was very disgusted but also very hurt for the Black students who go there because I know what it feels like to have things like this happen. It feels like you don’t have a voice.”
She said BLM Manchester wants to express “our support for the Black community that has been affected by the posting, especially the students at Trinity. This is disgusting and appropriate action needs to be taken.”
Tshiela noted that the school’s statement on the incident does not mention racism.
Tshiela said when she first saw the “homecoming proposal” she thought it was a hoax because when she googled the phrase, she saw that other students across the country have done the same thing. A Sarasota, Fla., student in 2018 used the same phrase in a prom proposal.
“What that says is this was a very intentional act because he found it and it raised questions in news articles and he still decided to use it,” she said.
On Friday the leadership of Manchester Mayor’s Multicultural Advisory Council’s Leadership Team, called on Trinity’s leadership to take action to address the racist post.
“Statements like this undermine the vision of the Multicultural Advisory Council, which is that Manchester is a city where full and equal participation exists across all aspects of life and diversity is valued as an integral part of our community," they wrote. "This deplorable action undermines our vision and our effort to make our city a more welcoming and vibrant community for all.”
A statement condemning the student’s actions and voicing support for the Black community was also issued by the YWCA New Hampshire.
Leaders from BLM Seacoast also spoke out about the racist act on social media. On Friday, BLM Seacoast organizer Clifton West, Jr. posted a screenshot on Twitter of a racist email he received following the organization speaking out against the student’s actions. The threatening message was from a person representing a white supremacist group saying people were “trying to ruin [the student’s] life over a joke.”
“I don’t usually post the threatening emails that I get but I’ll make a exception today,” West wrote. “This is the other side of organizing that folks don’t see. We have to work together to make sure that white supremacists don’t prosper nor feel comfortable in our state any longer.”
Tshiela said she has heard from other students and alumna of the Catholic high school via social media that this isn’t the first time something like this has happened at the school, including someone who said she was forced to straighten her hair because her braids were not deemed acceptable per the dress code.
She said Trinity students tried to form a Black students union or multicultural social club late last year or early this school year but were denied.
“[T]he school claimed it wasn’t inclusive enough,'' Tshiela said. “Anybody could join but the school denied it… the Black students expressed the need for a safe place at that school and they’ve been denied. I think that’s something that needs to be talked about as well.”
