SAN FRANCISCO—According to school officials, several St. Ignatius College Preparatory students were suspended in San Francisco after attending a “wigga kegger” at Stern Grove, a large city park in the Outer Sunset District.
School officials say the party was promoted on social media with approximately 100 students from five different schools in attendance. Only Saint Ignatius has been reported to have taken any disciplinary action with their students in attendance. Students were dressed in attire emulating negative black stereotypes, with mostly upperclassmen in attendance.
Saint Ignatius is a prestigious private Catholic high school in the Bay Area. The student body population currently consists of 55 percent identified as white or caucasian, with African American students consisting of only five percent of the student body. Principal, Patrick Ruff, stated the incident is “so contradictory to who we are and who we want to be.”
According to reports from the San Francisco Gate, 17-year-old Nahrie Pierce of the Saint Ignatius Black Student Union collectively gathered with her peers in the organization to take action and report the party to administration. According to the SF Gate, she became aware of the party as it was taking place and students were posting pictures onto social media.
Reactions to the news of suspensions across the student body population have been mixed. According to reports, some students believe a suspension is a strong consequence for students who attended the event, while others believe the students should have been expelled from the school.
Students were suspended based on photos posted on social media. The administration is taking the occurrence as an opportunity to use this incident as a “teachable moment” for the student population, says Ruff. Saint Ignatius faculty members are taking it upon themselves to meet with students in small groups to educate and have a conversation about cultural appropriation. Ruff says the faculty also plans on addressing the student body as a whole in the coming week.
