Racist text messages referencing slavery were sent to Black people across the country – and to Black students at DHS.

“We were in the locker room after a scrimmage (Wednesday night), and all my teammates got the text about being chosen for slaves,” junior Macayla Askew said. 

The text describes slavery and a meetup with DHS’s name and address included. 

The message incited fear in the Black students. 

“I was very scared and frightened because I was in the middle of work and it was dark outside,” senior Oshin Yearby said. 

Instead of focusing on activities outside of school, Black students are worried about their safety and whether or not they are welcome at DHS. 

Additionally, this nauseating circumstance worsens the school’s reputation on how prevalent racism is and how it is dealt with.

“I’m glad they found the person, but the punishment was not acceptable.… It should be expulsion,” junior Quinlan Egan said. “The whole thing is messed up because you don’t get to say that as it makes our school, our state and our country look horrible.” 

Discrimination on the basis of race is a problem that plagues the entire country, but that doesn’t mean the student body can’t come together to try and create a better, more inclusive environment for all. 

“Racism is still really big in our school, and a lot of the time if you say something about it, nothing happens,” Yearby said.