African American student’s lie about attack caused irreparable damage
The accusation made world headlines. Retraction? Not so much.
A Virginia school girl who gained major attention after she said three white boys pinned her down and cut some of her hair, admitted to officials she lied.
The sixth-grade African American student at Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, Va alleged that three white classmates called her hair “nappy” and “ugly” then wielded scissors in the incident, recently revealed the truth as a family lawyer noted the girl had fabricated the story.
These incidents that occur from both sides of our racial hemisphere cause if not irreparable damage certainly expand the chasms that exist in a nation that remains embroiled in prejudice, bias, bigotry, racism and other social concerns that deteriorate whatever significant social fabric that exists.
Add lies to real situations such as the one being lived out at Penn State University where alum Dave Petersen chastised Nittany Lions 21-year-old safety Jonathan Sutherland. He is African American.
“Though the athletes of today are certainly superior to those in my days, we miss the clean-cut young men and women from those days,” the letter, signed by Dave Petersen, said.
“Watching the Idaho game on TV, we couldn’t help but notice your — well — awful hair. Surely there must be mirrors in the locker room! Don’t you have parents or a girlfriend who have told you those shoulder-length dreadlocks look disgusting and are certainly not attractive.”
Sure, Penn State responded admirably with support for Sutherland and other athletes but that’s the easy part as the real battle lines against racism and bigotry draw at dinner tables, golf clubs, garden parties and cocktail hours. More on this situation at a later date as the Virginia situation needs serious discussion. First an apology from the family.
“To those young boys and their parents, we sincerely apologize for the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused,” the family said in a statement. “To the administrators and families of Immanuel Christian School, we are sorry for the damage this incident has done to trust within the school family and the undue scorn it has brought to the school.”
Imagine the impact caused by such an accusation, not only for the three young boys involved but also their families. Just the suspicion alone can create emotional or psychological stress and tribulation that professional counseling may be required.
For their accuser, too, as she faces the shame that tethers inexcusable actions. Yes, youthful mistakes deserve some leeway, and we can accept some missteps, but this decision to implicate her three white classmates delivers severe hurt not to mention all the racial residue that builds after such an accusation.
All the words released can never be pushed back into our bodies, minds and souls. While let’s wait and see remains a wonderful reaction to such accusations, many jump to more conclusions that proliferate harder feelings at such breakneck speeds that they reach points of no return.
A sermon that lingers in the past offered a mental picture of breaking a china plate into pieces then being asked to put all the shattered shards back together. Our society fractures with seemingly no hope of any real repair to the decade of distrust and destruction.
And while we attempt to downplay our issues as strictly epidermal, a real inspection underscores the visceral reality of our racial malady, ingrained and trapped in the nooks and crannies of our lives.
Immanuel Christian School officials offered a sad admission.
“While we are relieved to hear the truth and bring the events of the past few days to a close, we also feel tremendous pain for the victims and the hurt on both sides of this conflict,” the school said in a statement. “We recognize that we now enter what will be a long season of healing.”
All the words released can never be pushed back into our bodies, minds and souls. While let’s wait and see remains a wonderful reaction to such accusations, many jump to more conclusions that proliferate harder feelings at such breakneck speeds that they reach points of no return.