"They humiliated this young woman": Philadelphia High School for Girls garners backlash after principal denies Hafsah Abdur-Rahman of her diploma

Philadelphia High School for Girls recently came under fire after its principal denied a graduate her diploma after the student danced across the stage on her way to receive the certificate on Friday, June 16, at the Kimmel Center.

This year, students were given a prior warning for their graduation ceremony that their families would not be allowed to cheer, clap, or shout when they would walk across the stage to accept their diplomas.

The 18-year-old student, Hafsah Abdul-Rahman, was aware of the restriction, and as she was waiting for her name to be called, she looked at her family and put a finger on her lips as a reminder. While she was walking across the stage, the graduating student silently, but with style, did the Griddy dance with a smile on her face.

However, when she stood in front of the principal, Lisa Mesi, and reached for her diploma, Mesi rebuffed her and said:

“You’re not getting your diploma because you made the crowd chuckle.”

Twitter user Marc Lamont Hill shared the video clip of the upsetting moment and wrote that Philadelphia High School for Girls should be ashamed of themselves as they humiliated Hafsah for nothing.

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Philadelphia High School for Girls garners backlash online

Philadelphia High School for Girls is known for upholding its proud traditions of 175 years, including its graduation ceremony, where students dress in white and carry flowers. However, when Hafsah Abdul-Rahman's grandmother shared the video of Hafsah’s walk across the stage to receive her diploma, people had a mixed reaction to the school's traditions.

Some people defended the high school and argued that rules are rules, and the high school had its traditions to maintain, so administrations stuck to them. However, many criticized the principal and the school for complying with an outdated rule and slammed the high school for being insensitive to Black culture.

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Hafsah-Abdul Rahman eventually received her diploma

The Philadelphia School District apologized for the incident and said:

“The district does not condone the withholding of earned diplomas based on family members cheering for their graduates. We apologize to all the families and graduates who were impacted and are further looking into this matter to avoid it happening in the future.”

Hafsah-Abdul Rahman and her mother, Jaszmine Reid felt that Hafsah was targeted for her little dance. According to them, other students blew kisses and waved, or made other silent gestures while walking across the stage. She added that before the ceremony began, an assistant principal told the students to walk the stage in style.

The graduation ceremony was especially significant to Hafsah, who had endured health challenges for a year. She shared that collecting her diploma did not just feel like it was for her, but also for her late sister Aisha, who was killed by gun violence at the age of 14 in 2014.

However, she was stunned when the principal at Philadelphia High School for Girls denied her diploma. She shared that she kept walking but felt humiliated. Hafsah said:

“You only get one moment like that, and it was taken away from me.”

Hafsah eventually received her diploma after one of her family members confronted another official of the high school, who also initially refused to hand it over.

Meanwhile, Keziah Ridgeway, a graduate of Philadelphia High School for Girls and a current district social studies teacher, added that, in a time where there are so many children dying, and not graduating, those who are able to graduate, should be celebrated.