This seems like a weirdly coordinated thing for a bunch of students in NJ to do. Maybe a misguiding attempt at a political statement in response to this story? http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/11/mother_of_east_windsor_teen_su.html

ok people, before this gets blown out of proportion.

A bunch of kids wanted to form a team with the name of the Hillbillies. They were told the day of the name submission that "Hillbillies" was derogatory and therefore unacceptable. They had a minute to come up with a whole new name, on the spot, and the best they could come up with is "The South". therefore, they were stuck with the name of "The South" and they had to use that when they entered the volleyball tournament. They decided to also have a team uniform, some sort of unity, so they decided to decorate/draw on all of their t-shirts, writing their last names and numbers on the shirt, like any sports uniform. Some people put the number "1" on the back, while others "3", "6", etc. One person decided to be funny, perhaps, or just wasn't thinking properly, but whatever the case, this person decided to put a number on the back of his shirt that had a connection with the South. When they thought of the South, the first thing they thought of was what they had learned in History class, namely, the Civil War. So, the kid decided to put the number "1861", for when the Civil War began (note: not when anything related to slavery began, or ended, or anything. merely when the official war began). Then, kids decided to put their last names on the shirts, and again, someone decided to be funny and put "Mason-Dixon" as his last name. As a joke. Not because he supports the Mason-Dixon Line. more to follow.

the kids then arrived at the volleyball tournament with these shirts, just thinking it was all funny and whatnot. within a couple of minutes, administrative people approached them, informing them that people had noticed their shirts and a few were offended, and they respected these people's desires and promptly turned their shirts inside out. No one, including them, wanted a fight with anyone. Everyone present was on the same side. They didn't want to be perceived as the enemy, and quickly tried to eradicate any appearances that indicated otherwise. Apparently it was too late, for within a day or two, people were talking about the "racist t-shirts" and the "racist kids" on the volleyball team. don't get me wrong, they did something wrong, and they should get punished for it. but what they did was stupid, and not racist, and they should get punished only for being ignorant, not derogatory and discriminatory. I'm not representing these kids, I only know half of them, but I know that none of them had any intentions of coming off as racist. They may do foolish things, they may do some stupid stuff sometimes, but they would never purposefully go out and wear shirts that proclaim "pro-slavery" ideals and whatnot.

the fact that dr. lilly even brought up thoughts of violence against these kids (mind you, she wasn't suggesting it, but instead discouraging it) suggests that this whole thing is blown wildly out of proportion and is just actually kind of absurd. The fact that people are so mad that they'd think of beating up the kids who wore these shirts is just as disappointing as the fact that kids were acting this irresponsible in the first place.

These kids need to take more responsibility for what they did. There is no way these high school seniors did not know how shirts with "1851" and the Mason Dixon Line would not be interpreted as racist remarks. What they did OFFENDED their classmates, teachers, and the community. They should own up for what they did instead of covering it up with excuses, APOLOGIZE for how they hurt members of our community. Dr.Lilly was right to bring it to the attention of Columbia High School because once these boys graduate it will remain a mark on the school that it proliferates racism. It is hard to believe that in our progressive town in 2011 we are still dealing with pro-slavery jokes and racist slurs. Hateful jokes were only hateful once they were taken out into public carelessly.

"Exar Kun"-
As a student present at the volleyball tournament on Wednesday night I can tell you there are several glaring mistakes in your version of the evening’s events. To begin, the boys on "The South" did not write on their shirts like a sports uniform. None had their real last names on the shirts and only two had large numbers written on the back, these numbers were 6 and 1, as in 1861. These boys are all intelligent young men, in level 4 and AP classes, a supposed testament to their intelligence; they are not ignorant to what the date 1861 represents to many people in this country. 1861 is not "merely" when the war began, but when the Mason Dixon Line was drawn, the official divide between the North which rejected slavery and the South which continued to allow slavery. With shirts that said "I <3 the South" and "1861" this conveys a clear message of supporting the South in the Civil War, and through this showing a pro-slavery sentiment. Also as I previously stated no individual on the team had their last name on the back on their shirt such as on a regular sports jersey, they had Mason Dixon written all over their shirts, not just on the back where a last name would go. One even had the phrase "Defend the Dixon" on his back, again showing their support for the Mason Dixon line, and the antebellum South. Your statement that the team was approached a few minutes into the tournament is also inaccurate.

In fact they proudly walked around displaying their shirts for about a half hour before the game started, and played several games, before being asked by teachers to turn the shirts inside out. When asked, they did not promptly nor respectfully turn the shirts inside out, the team argued they were not racist statements, with one boy in particular putting up a strong fight, and after flipping the shirt inside out writing 1861 on his shirt once again, but this time with “The North” written above it instead of “The South.” These boys may or may not be racist but unfortunately the decisions they made and behavior they exhibited implied they supported the South’s attitude towards slavery. As young men they need to take responsibility and be held accountable for their actions which have offended the majority of the diverse community of Columbia High School.

Note: Was not present at this event.

Are all members of southern historical societies racist, and all Southerners who take pride in their history racist? I'm concerned that everyone involved here is accepting that the Civil War was just "The South versus the North because of Slavery." Naming a team "The South' and wearing the year the Civil War started is NOT racist because, though it is definitely connected to slavery, that was really not the whole reason for the Civil War. There were numerous political reasons, and many northerners who most strongly supported the war were slave-owners. Also, there are examples of Southern abolitionists who were Pro-Secession. In addition I would like to point out that the Mason-Dixon line is a string of state border lines determined in the 1760s, and that state governments individually determined whether or not to secede and also whether or not to assist the Union. Many border states contributed troops to both sides. The Mason-Dixon line is the generally agreed upon marker separating the South and the North but it does not have any connection to slavery.

^all about states rights

Regardless of the political statements the students inadvertently may or may not made (depending on your opinion) what they did was insensitive and they deserve whatever repercussions they may recieve. The slogans on their are synonymous with slavery and the antebellum period which was a horrible time for everyone white and black alike. The fact that they thought that it was ok for them to wear that to a school function (at a school that is 60% "black") is highly disturbing for a multitude of reasons.For one either they were insensitive enough or too ignorant to realize what their shirts were going to be offensive. Along with the fact that even in a community as "diverse" as ours something like this could occur and there are no repercussions for the students involved.

As a friend of these boys I can vouch for the fact that their intentions were to make a joke. Both teams, regardless of any racial implications, were ironically referencing political beliefs that they disagree with because they thought it would be funny. On the same token, there seems to be a general sense among these guys that certain things (social standing, good grades, athletic accomplishments, whatever) make them immune to backlash from making stupid decisions like this. The fact that people were offended because they misinterpreted the teams' intentions (which were to parody the views that their shirts represented) is STILL something that they need to take full responsibility for. It's unfortunate that an obscure inside joke offended people that it was not meant to offend, but hopefully this will be a wake-up call for a group of people that is often, in my experience, quick to dismiss the views and the feelings of those outside of their social circle. It matters that a lot of people are upset, whether it was the result of real racist sentiment or not, and an apology—not a defense argument—is in order.

For the record, some of the other team names were F.O.C. which stood for "fresh off the cyphe." A "cyphe" is what kids call a marijuana smoking session. Also, another group was named FBGM, which stands for F*** B****es, Get Money. Interesting to see how these group names were approved, and no repercussions were given to these teams....

In light of the controversary and team names sighted above, you have to wonder why the group's first choice for a team name ," the Hillbillies" was rejected!

While these children should not be pilloried they do need to be held to account. Regardless of their intent they did cause other members of their community pain and fear. For what they did there needs to be a sanction as well as a public admission that they made a terrible error in judgment. Anything short of that suggests that they intended to cause harm. Why you say?

Well, who among us has not made an error in judgment that caused harm? There have been times when my judgment was correct and I caused harm because I had imperfect information. In each case I was sorry and apologized. There has even been times when I knew I was causing pain but thought it was for the best. (Think babies and shots) I apologized then as well. The point is that if the students intended no harm, a proposition that I am completely comfortable with, then they should be eager to discharge and dispel to the best of their ability the pain felt by the offended community members. That means owning the error and saying that they are sorry.

For those who have posted on behalf of the students that is great. It’s good to support kids. Support the ones who were offended by racist and insensitive speech and support the victims who wore the shirts and are suffering due to their own poor judgment.

It’s important to remember that, while issues of race and prejudice are settled matters for many of us they are not completely erased from the canvas of our community. Frankly in many ways they still define our community. Many families choose Maplewood for its racial diversity (mine included). It is not lost on anyone that the town is divided by economics or that those economic divisions are strikingly mirrored by our racial distribution. These and many other issues reflect our shared struggle with race and race relations. The community should use this as a vehicle to advance conversations about race and race relations.

The administration is accountable here as well. These boys were not asked to leave the premises. They were allowed to play and then asked to turn their shirts inside out. If there was a real issue here, they should have been asked to leave immediately. That being said, the administration really missed the boat here when the decision was made to address the entire student body incriminating these kids without ever speaking to them first. This is not the way our judicial system is run, innocent until proven guilty. There was an obligation to the student body to quell these rumors until further investigation. It is clear that this decision was influenced by several very vocal teachers in the school who similarly took liberities in their classrooms leading discussions about this topic that were heavily opinionated. The administration knows full well that everyone knows who these boys are leaving them vulnerable to possible retaliation. This was and is a teachable moment in our community and ideally should have been treated as such.

Response to Guy:
As the proud father of the bright, passionate and articulate young lady who responded to a post with some inaccuracies (acknowledged politely by Exar Kun) I have two questions for you:
1. Why is it neccessary to make a personal attack on someone who express' an opinion different to your own?
2. Why do so annonomously?

I think this was a senior prank or something to go out with a bang or maybe they really are racist. People can sugar coat this story all they want, everyone knows ot was wrong and there is no way a group of AP/honors students unintentionally wrote derogatory comments on their t shirt. There is no way they can be that ignorant. I believe these kids wanted a reaction and were then too scared to own up to what they did. Cowards trying to stir up trouble and then backing down with their tail between their legs. I think they should be made an example of and they should all be suspended so colleges can see how "great of students" they really are. Im very hurt that this happened it made me feel like this is what people feel about african americans in columbia high school and even had me questioning my relationship with some of my caucasian friends. I felt skeptical of our relationship and if they secretly thought this way too. These seniors left hurtful stains on the hearts of many and I don't think anyone who causes pain should get away with it.

I apologize for my other comment. This was clearly a joke that was taken too far. The group of kids know and understand what they did. I know these kids practically my whole life, they are not racist. They joke around a lot and this is simply of their jokes that was taken too far and gone wrong.

Um....Emancipation being crossed out is a deliberate comment. If it was a joke, it tasteless and hugely inappropriate. Its like wearing a Hitler tee in a temple...those kids know the demographics of the school. They know the implications of slavery. No one would wear a Mohamed tee in a mosque. But wearing an anti-emancipation shirt in a school that's primarily black was a blatant offense.

*I was there* ...and then one of the young men argued that their shirts were justified by the first Amendment. So concerned parent, you may right. The teacher are at fault. not for discussing this incident in the classroom, but for not reinforcing that there are at least four limitations on the 1st Amendment: libel, slander, incitement, and defamation. Walking into a primarily black school with an anti-Emancipation tee is incitement. The students knew what thy were doing and covering this up as a simple innocent joke is embarrassing, shortsighted, and all around ignorant.

This is a teachable moment to reflect on the privilege implied by even attempting to justify an action like this, and to further reflect on the leveling system which reinforces ethnic and racial inferiority. This incident might have been innocent....kids who are so empowered by their privilege that they can't even see or conceive of being wrong or offensive, they have been taught that they are the brightest and best. And according to the leveling system, the best and brightest are white. This is a moment to reflect on the generations of white and black children who are received a skewed view of the world and their place in it. This should be a public moment to draw together and FINALLY acknowledge the pack of elephants in the room.

Sorry for the typos...I'm old.

Patch will delete the comment posted by student of CHS because it charges students with broad offenses, unrelated to this specific incident. While we welcome comments from adults and students alike, please remember that the students in question are minors, and, to our knowledge, have not been charged with specific offenses at this point. In addition, please avoid identifying the students by name, team, classes or other information. Thank you for your thoughtful and civil remarks.

Respectfully: it sounds like you had a bunch of kids who wanted to make fun of hillbillies, and were forbidden from doing so. The hillbilly stereotype is also the "white trash" stereotype. So you're a high school kid and you still want to make fun of these people; it doesn't seem like a big leap, especially in a young person's mind, to decide to make fun of "the south" instead. So, what are some stereotypes regarding southern "white trash?" That's right: they're still fighting the "war of northern aggression" and they all of course live south of the, wait for it, Mason-Dixon line.

If you wanted to make fun of hillbillies but were thwarted, why would you then instead decide to make fun of ... I don't know who or what the people who are offended THINK were actually being made fun of. Slavery? African-Americans in general? What, exactly? Assuming it's true that the "emancipation" line never actually appeared on any shirts and is just a rumor, it sounds as if exactly zero of the disgusting stereotypes usually used by racists were employed by these kids. Instead, they appear to have just used incredibly vague terms and years that don't appear to actually have any racist connotation whatsoever.

We all know what the symbols of racist hate are; I won't list them here, but we all know what they are, and what they look like, and how they're used. Not only did these kids not use any of them, they don't seem to have even HINTED at any of them.

As a graduate of CHS and a friend of the boys involved, I am unsure of how to react reading these posts. I am torn between friendships and what is right. No matter what the boys hear and are told, they are convinced that since they meant no harm, they did not do anything wrong. However, I disagree with them; regardless of their intentions, they offended a huge percentage of Maplewood and South Orange and should, at the very least, apologize for their actions. In this sense, I strongly agree with those of you who suggest that the boys should definitely have repercussions for their actions. The problem, if you ask me, is what these repercussions should be. Obviously, they have hurt several people and SHOULD be able to recognize that. However, since it was unintentional, shouldn't that play some role? Basically, I'm curious as to what people think their punishment should be since it was unintentional harm.. please leave comments.

Remember, all of these boys are applying to schools now for next year and something serious could seriously impair their future. But maybe something is necessary, simply to teach a lesson? I don't know.

This is utterly ridiculous. As a student from chs, I am only 16 years old and it seems as if I have more common sense then some of the adults on this forum. This shouldn't even be a controversial topic. A couple kids wrote derogatory statements on their shirts and people were offended. They can say its a joke, but at the end of the day, if people aren't laughing and if people are offended, it is obviously not a joking matter. Point blank period. I could say alot more, but the core of the issue has already been stated. Use a brain and understand the problem. Thanyou

From what I have heard, at least one of the boys, does something similar like this every year. Doesn't sound like a very isolated incident and/or simple joke anymore after that statement, does it?

It angers me that I have to pay school taxes to support the salaries of a bunch of liberal school officials who try to create a heated argument about racism out of some T-shirts that simply mention part of our nation (the South) and American history. Direct your anger towards something productive, people. These types of stories make me want to move back south!