Teen Removed From Graduation for Wearing African Cloth

ABC News

A black teenager says he was escorted out of his high school graduation ceremony in Sacramento by three deputies for refusing to remove his kente cloth, a traditional Ghanaian silk and cotton fabric.

Nyree Holmes said Saturday that he wore the decorative cloth atop his graduation robes to have something with him that represented his culture during the ceremony at Sacramento's Sleep Train Arena on Tuesday.

"The kente represents my culture that I have no other links to," Holmes told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I wanted to show I'm proud of who I am and that as the descendant of slaves, I represent Africa and my ancestry."

But Holmes, an 18-year-old student from Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove, California, said the school's student activities director wouldn't hear his arguments and told him he was violating graduation dress requirements, which only allow decorating caps and gowns with medals, cords or pins received though the school.

Holmes said he tried to have a dialogue with him, but the activities director instead tried to prevent him from walking onstage.

"I understood the rules. But I feel if he would had heard what I was saying, I may have just put it in my pocket and wait until after graduation to wear it," Holmes said. "But I felt that he wasn't listening to what I was saying or respecting my opinion."

Holmes walked the stage wearing the kente and shook hands with the school principal, Maria Osborne, and other administrators. But as he walked down the stairs, three sheriff's deputies waited for him to escort him out. A security guard later helped him to get back into the arena to retrieve his diploma and returned the loaned cap and gown, he said.

Osborne met with his parents and apologized for the incident and he too, plans to meet with her next week, he said.

Elk Grove Unified spokeswoman Xanthi Pinkerton told the Sacramento Bee on Friday it was unfortunate that Holmes was escorted out of the commencement.

"We would have preferred that the student would have complied. We wouldn't have even gone here with that. It would have been nice not to have the image of a police escort," Pinkerton said.

Holmes he would like the school's rule on graduation attire change to reflect how much Elk Grove has transformed over the years.

"This neighborhood has gone from a farm town to a bustling small urban city that's building up and growing," he said. "I understand not wanting people to dazzle their caps with random words or wear neon pink sashes and crazy things. But they need to adapt it to accept cultural items."

http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/teen-removed-graduation-wearing-african-cloth-39453682/


RELATED:

Topic: Il. School won't let marine walk in dress blues for grad.
http://m.mingle2.com/topic/show/483905/

Each society has rules.. Most of which existed, before we were born.
Just because we want something, does not mean it is just cause, or that rules & protocol should change so a few stop whining. Nor does it mean, people not getting their whims meet are discriminated or persecuted or forgotten.

Humm.. (Alleged) Transgenders, (proms & graduation etc), a white woman in uniform & a black guy in heritage garb..

Heads up, for the 'let me wear my Burka & hijib..etc. & fly the ISIS or Nazi or Mexican or United Nations flag....etc.. Because I want to...'
CRAP *

Assimilate or else; this is The United States of America.. We already have a culture. We are
NOT an international airport lobby in Dubai.


Rant over

If the Marine wasn't allowed to march in her Uniform,why should he have an Extra-Wurst? (special treatment)

"Each society has rules.. Most of which existed, before we were born.
Just because we want something, does not mean it is just cause, or that rules & protocol should change so a few stop whining. Nor does it mean, people not getting their whims meet are discriminated or persecuted or forgotten. "

This makes me think of the native Americans who had their rules before the white man turned up and disrespected and disregarded their land rights, culture, laws etc.

If the mexicans invade and take control of America, in a hundred years all the white people might have to wear pionchos to graduation and eat tortillas rather than GM beef!

Or,in your Case,Kebab!

Exactly. Students can wear whatever they want to, under the robes.
Graduation is for all the students.
The cap & gown is a tradition, a rule & also an equalizer.

Graduation is not a place to make some kind of sociological polical statement. It interferes with the school, the venue, the students, their families.

These seemingly little isolated incidents.. can open Pandora's box.

Hhhaa.. All the centuries of murder, mayhem, rape, pillaging, conquering in Europe & through out the world.

And everyone loves to throw, EUROPEAN take over of NORTH AMERICA in our BABY countries (US & Canada) ...faces
Hhhaa.. Where did those invaders come from? Why did they leave? If those descendants return....Will they get free sh@t & their as# k@ssed ?


Hhhaa...

anyway,,,

school is right, no exceptions are no exceptions,,

there is a dress code that is explained and agreed to,, follow it

those who win the wars get to write the perspective,, I understand what you are saying and thats another complex discussion I would gather most here arent interested in,,,,


but also, the rules are the rules in this case,,,,

300 year old rules and laws don't exactly apply to modern times... should have our male children go hunt a bear to prove their manhood? should we still burn witches at the stake? should you have no choice but to believe in one god or get your head chopped off? times and thoughts change, follow the laws or suffer the consequences...

maybe try thinking a little before you post more nonsense...

I wonder if anyone would have read the article if it was written:
"Teen experienced known consequences to knowingly violating the known and agreed to rules."


Not anymore.

Those who have access to the internet, wikipedia, the most number of web clicks, and the ability to load paragraphs/headlines get to write the perspective for those with the shortest attention spans.

true, perspectives are a dime a dozen

I should be more specific that they write HISTORY and mainstream news,,lol

but yeah, reporting is a whole lot of opinion posing as fact these days


last time I read so and so 'said',, as opposed to so and so 'demanded', 'complained', 'argued', 'boasted',,,etc,,etc,,etc,,


shaping facts to influence public opinion as opposed to just sharing facts,, its become the status quo