High School Doll
Shari Alvine
"There's an undercurrent of racism and discrimination, and not only in Salinas High but in all high schools," said an Alisal High School senior, who introduced herself as Belinda during Tuesday's Salinas Union High School board of trustees meeting.
Later Tuesday night, dozens of parents, students, educators, and community members attended Tuesday's Salinas Union High School District (SUHSD) board meeting. More than 100 people voiced their concerns regarding a group of students who allegedly defaced a Black doll during Salinas High School's jamboree event last week.
SUHSD Superintendent Dan Burns said the consequences for those involved include suspension, removal from extracurricular activities, and mandatory attendance in restorative justice and healing sessions.
Several students claim that the Salinas High School principal and other faculty members have made racially insensitive remarks in the past. Additionally, one Alisal student said that some Salinas High School staff knew about the doll but didn't act until the social media post.
In the meantime, Building Healthy Communities, a local community-based organization supporting engagement and leadership, is launching a countywide racial equity earning to action cohort. Their goal is to battle racial inequities in the county. BHC leaders helped organize this meeting.
On Jan. 11, four students wrapped string around the neck of a dark skinned doll and hung it in a stairwell. The students posted pictures of the doll online, provoking an outcry from parents, students and members of the community.
At last night's meeting people voiced different opinions on how best to move on, while school officials expressed shock at the incident and pledged to do a better job of educating students about the racial context of what happened.
Markham-Cousins has been criticized by some parents because she didn't publicly comment on the incident until five days after it happened. She apologized for the delay, but insisted the school and the district are committed to tackling the issue.
"What I'm here to say is that it no way represents our student body. The Washburn I've experienced is a tightly knit community," Cramer said. "We see each other as fellow human beings, different, but human beings none the less."
Other parents and community members urged Minneapolis school officials to consider teaching more about racial strife in the country's history, so students have a better understanding of why the imagery of a dark skinned doll hung by the neck is disturbing to so many people.
Markham-Counsins says the school will hold more meetings in the near future for students to again voice their opinions on what the school can do to learn from the incident and prevent it from happening again.
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Kewpie dolls gained popularity as paper cut-outs, and were subsequently manufactured in the 1920's as toy dolls made from bisque. Decades later, Kewpie dolls were still in demand, and they were mass produced from plastic and rubber. Today, the early bisque versions are rare and highly desired by antique doll collectors.
The story of how the Kewpie became Hickman High School's mascot dates back to a basketball game held in December of 1913. The school's secretary owned one of the popular dolls, and placed the Kewpie doll at centre court before the basketball game. Not only did the doll survive the entire game unscathed, but the basketball team won - and since then it has been considered a good luck charm.
Recently, BAM Mascots worked closely with Hickman High School to create a new pair of Kewpie mascots: Mighty Kewp, a sporty and strong looking character, and Mister Kewpie, a dapper Kewpie character in a black business suit.
If you want to create a unique custom-made mascot costume to help your school or organization with branding, student engagement, and add fun to your school events, please contact us today to discuss your mascot idea.
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) KION is learning that three students have been suspended for their involvement in the Black baby doll incident at Salinas High School that has enraged the local community in the last week.
A source familiar with the matter confirms with KION that the three students, two of whom are Hispanic and one African American, are being accused of creating the Black baby doll itself and for creating an Instagram page that circulated crude content involving the doll.
"My initial response is that, yes, that's disappointing to me because several of the kids that we saw on the videos and in the pictures violating the doll, we've heard that nothing has happened to them. And now these three other students that we've never heard of before, we find out that we're suspended," said Yvonne Thomas, the president of the Monterey County NAACP.
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