Racist video circulates at Torrance high school, with Black student targeted by ‘racially hateful message’
A disturbing video of seven young girls yelling an anti-Black slur into the camera has resurfaced after five years at a Torrance high school, where someone reportedly sent a Black student the clip along with several racist messages.
The short video shows the girls eagerly crowding around the camera as one of them directs the group to say the slur “on the count of three.†At the end of the count, the girls yell the slur on cue.
Some of the girls in the video are now students at South High School.
“Unfortunately, a video containing students using the ‘N’ word has been circulated among some students,†Principal Jim Evans said in an email to parents Wednesday. “As background, the video was made about five years ago and away from school, and is now causing harm and hurt.â€
Evans’ message also came after an unidentified student had received an anonymous “racially hateful message,†he said.
KCAL-TV Channel 9 reported that someone sent a Black student the video of the girls yelling a slur, followed by text messages telling the student to kill themselves, that they didn’t fit in and to “Go back to Africa.â€
A host of schools and nonprofits have stepped up to teach students and the broader public to tell the difference between news and fiction.
“I offer you my full assurance that it has my full attention and that we will do everything necessary to address the student’s safety concerns,†Evans wrote. “We will continue to work with all of our students to teach that respectful behavior means that collectively we will not tolerate hate, discrimination or racism in any form.â€
The video has also been posted on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, with the students identified by name and social media handles in some posts.
In his note to parents, Evans emphasized that he would not identify students or “discuss specific students in this or any communication,†but he said school officials had met with some of the students in the video several weeks ago.
The meeting, he said, was “to reinforce that hateful hurtful, racist comments and behavior are never acceptable.â€
“And I want you to know that when we met with the students they were deeply remorseful for their past actions,†he wrote.
South High School enrolls nearly 2,000 students. According to the Torrance Unified School District, about 4% of the more than 22,000 students who attend district schools are Black.
In a statement to The Times, the Torrance Unified said it was continuing to work to “educate students to be members of a diverse society.â€
“Hate and racism are never acceptable,†the statement read. “We are continuing to work with those impacted, and we will continue to educate that hate and racism are never acceptable.â€
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