A picture of students spelling out a racial slur in the Cabrillo High School gym has prompted outrage and an apology from the Long Beach Unified School District.
The photo — which multiple people shared with the Long Beach Post — shows a row of students: The first two are wearing shirts with the letter “I” and a heart symbol on them. Six students standing next to them had shirts with one letter each that spelled out a plural version of the N-word spelled with one G.
Students and parents began circulating the photo on social media this week, many of them expressing outrage and concern. Some questioned how the photo was allowed to be taken in a campus facility.
Cabrillo High School and the LBUSD issued a joint statement Thursday night denouncing the “disturbing and offensive photo” as “unacceptable.”
“We sincerely apologize for the harm this has caused to our community,” part of the statement sent to parents and staff read.
The school district said it was “working with all relevant parties to ensure accountability.”
The photo was taken during a recent senior assembly, according to Omar Cardenas-Verduzco of Californians for Justice, a racial justice organization that operates a club on campus.
It wasn’t immediately clear who took the photo or where it was originally posted. The LBUSD on Monday declined to respond to those or other questions from the Long Beach Post, saying the incident is still under investigation and citing a need for student and staff confidentiality.
The district said “immediate steps are being taken to address the situation.”
“We ask that all members of our school community be mindful of the harm that sharing such images can cause,” the district wrote.
In the statement, LBUSD also encouraged families to have conversations at home “about the significance of treating others with dignity and respect.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated that the school district declined to say who took the picture or where it was originally posted before the district was given the opportunity to directly answer those questions. We regret the error.