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A Black sophomore student at Olathe South High School, Kansas was subjected to racism on May 4, 2023. Kirubel Solomon, a 16-year-old, was handed a flat piece of copper by two of his white classmates during their jewelry and metal-making class. When they asked Kirubel to turn the metal over, he saw the N-word engraved into it.
Kirubel, who is the only Black student in that class, said that those students had been harassing him with racial slurs for months. He spoke to The Star on Friday, May 12, 2023, and discussed the incident with the publication.
He said that he did not say a word to those students when they gave him the metal piece. He only smiled a little because it was the physical evidence of the harassment. The teen said that it made him feel frustrated and that he didn't go back to class after the incident. However, during his conversation with the publication, he said that finally got the courage to speak up about the racism that was rampant at Olathe High School.
Just three days after this, on Monday, students and parents joined a protest to demand accountability from the school.
Olathe South High School receives online backlash for allowing racism
The school's lack of effective action in Kirubel Solomon's racial harassment sparked outrage online. People took to Twitter to discuss the implications of such incidents. While some called out the school administration for their lack of action, others
Students say racism is quite common in Olathe South
Kirubel Solomon’s story sparked outrage among students and parents who asked school officials to take stronger actions. The 16-year-old shared that two of the white students who harassed him, received a 10 days suspension while the third returned to the school grounds after only a few days of out-of-school suspension.
School officials also declined to provide further details of the discipline. They only claimed that they were aware of a vague incident of racism on the school premises and had addressed the issue.
In an email to The Star, the school said that Olathe Public Schools are committed to accommodating a safe and inclusive environment for all its students. Officials also added that none of their schools tolerate racism, slurs, or hate speech of any kind.
Several students, including Kirubel Solomon, expressed their anger at Dale Longenecker, the principal at Olathe South. Kirubel said that the principal should be held accountable as it wasn't the first time he was "negligent" with situations of racism or even issues related to the students.
Many students argued that school officials have not taken severe steps to put a stop to such incidents of stark racism. In the widespread outrage caused by the racist metal engravings, many parents questioned the school district’s handling of the situation. They gathered at the district headquarters for a protest on Monday.
Kirubel Solomon, who has been a student at the Olathe district schools since preschool, shared that the racism that he experienced there is too common. He added that all the black kids at the school have had to deal with their own experiences of racial harassment at the school.
Kirubel said that the publicity of the incident made him feel a little uncomfortable at first. However, he noted that he wants to set an example for both younger and older Black students so they feel encouraged to speak out against such cases of racism and harassment.
