Allegations of racism have emerged between two small towns in Lubbock County after a high school girls basketball game where fans began chanting “USA.”
Phil Terrigno is the high school sports editor for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He reports that in a game last Tuesday between Idalou and Slaton girls’ basketball teams, supporters in the Idalou team chanted “USA!” three times.
“Members of the Slaton community went up to their administration. They sort of felt there was a racist overtone to that chant,” he tells Texas Standard. “With Idalou, this is a practically an entirely white team. Whereas Slaton, that community and its basketball team is indicative of a very diverse community. … Idalou has apologized, but Slaton was not so quick to let it go away.”
While Slaton administrators have not filed a complaint to the University Interscholastic League, the governing body that oversees high school athletics in the state. But the incident has left hurt feelings.
The Idalou superintendent, Jim Waller, has apologized for the incident in writing. He has met with Slaton administrators and met with some students involved with the chanting.
“Slaton on the other hand, its superintendent is definitely going to speak to students and the community about this,” Terrgno says. “She told me, and I quote, ‘they deserve to know we wont’ let that go. We don’t tolerate racism in our schools. … I believe that we are a microcosm in schools of greater society that’s what we are. The symptoms of racism may run deep.’”
