During a high school graduation ceremony in Mississippi, relatives of several black students showed their support by cheering as the graduates crossed the stage. Then, they received criminal charges for doing so.
According to local police, Superintendent Jay Foster asked loved ones to refrain from cheering or applauding until all of the names were called. Allegedly, he also informed the crowd that people who ignored the request would be escorted out of the building. Four family members made noise during the ceremony, and were promptly asked to leave. Weeks later, they were served arrest warrants and told to pay a $500 bond, after Foster filed charges for disturbing the peace.
Ursula Miller told WREG that she only called out her niece’s name. “I can understand they can escort me out of the graduation, but to say they going to put me in jail for it,” she said. “What else are they allowed to do?”
Henry Walker also explained that he waived his towel and said ‘you did it baby,’ before he was escorted out. “The fact that I might have to bond out of jail, pay court costs, or a $500 fine for expressing my love, it’s ridiculous man. It’s ridiculous.” His wife, Linda Walker continued, “We don’t have money for anything like that.”
For black high school students in Mississippi, graduating is a significant accomplishment, as the education system is already stacked against them. Earlier this year, for example, a state representative said he wouldn’t channel more money into elementary schools, because “All the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call ‘welfare crazy checks.’ They don’t work.” Black students in the state are disproportionately subjected to harsh disciplinary actions for minor infractions — such as being arrested for a dress code violation. And since college admissions boards across the country are more likely to penalize students of color for their disciplinary records, school arrests and suspensions don’t bode well for their future prospects.
At the end of the 2011–2012 school year, only 51 percent of black high school males graduated in Mississippi. But for black students who do finish their high school careers and pursue higher education, going to school doesn’t guarantee future success. Black college graduates, for instance, saw their unemployment rate triple during the Recession, faring much worse than their non-black counterparts. Those who graduate from college have the same chances of getting a job as white counterparts who dropped out of high school. Many who are lucky enough to find employment have to work low-wage jobs that don’t make use of their degrees. Black women are at an even greater disadvantage, earning 36 percent less than white men.