NAACP calls for public action after student announcer uses racial slurs during basketball broadcast

The South Bend chapter of the NAACP has issued a public statement after a student broadcaster from Penn High School reportedly used racist language towards a Black player from Riley High School during a livestream of a March 6 game.

According to a report by Rayleigh Deaton in the South Bend Tribune, the Penn student could be heard “making monkey sounds and using a racial slur three times” while a Black player was shooting a free throw. Another broadcaster on the livestream could then be heard criticizing the language, Deaton reports.

Penn High School addressed the incident the following day, writing in an email to school families that “the livestream ended as quickly as possible,” and noting the recording had been removed from its platforms. Video of the incident captured by livestream viewers still exists, however.

On Tuesday, the NAACP issued a press release stating that it could not find “clear provisions” about the use of derogatory language within the student code of conduct at Penn. The organization called for the district to revise the code of conduct.

Further, the NAACP asserted that the student involved, and/or his or her parents, be required to write a paper “examining the harmful impact of racist language on individuals and communities” to later present at a school board meeting.

The school district responded with a statement of its own saying it shared the NAACP’s concerns.

“Language like this is hurtful and offensive, not only to the person it was directed toward, but to the entire community,” assistant superintendent Heather Short wrote. “It is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. In every P-H-M school we teach our students to be respectful and to treat others the way they would want to be treated.”

Due to federal privacy laws, the school district will not disclose what disciplinary action it will take towards the student involved.