Ugly racism canceled Paseo-Richmond basketball game. Student-athletes can show us better | Opinion

Kansas City Public Schools administrators made the right call to cancel a boys basketball game Tuesday between Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts and Richmond High School. The game will not be rescheduled, officials said. Bigotry has no place in our society, let alone high school gyms across the metro. No student should be forced to play a game inside a hostile, racist and insensitive environment.

Richmond school officials have identified the student who hurled racial and derogatory slurs at visiting Paseo players as they exited the bus, and the district apologized. The student could face discipline under the district’s harassment and discrimination policy, officials said. Penalties range from suspension up to expulsion. We trust Richmond schools will do the right thing and punish the student appropriately. This is a teaching moment if one ever existed.

The offensive incident was witnessed by a Kansas City Public Schools administrator, according to district officials. Led by interim Superintendent Jennifer Collier, the district made the swift — and correct — decision to return the team home without playing.

KCPS’ student population is majority Black. Richmond’s students are predominately white.

“Racist slurs or epithets are unacceptable and should always be met with a swift and corrective response,” Collier wrote in a letter to district stakeholders. “As a result of this incident, our administration made the decision to not play and reschedule the game. I have since spoken with the (Richmond) district’s superintendent, who released a statement this morning addressing the student’s inappropriate behavior.”

In a statement, the Richmond district confirmed school officials investigated the allegation and condemned the student’s actions. Good for them. Hate is intolerable — and a learned behavior that must be unlearned.

“The Richmond R-XVI School District does not condone or tolerate the use of any type of derogatory terms or racial slurs in any form or context,” the statement read. Due to student privacy laws, the district was unable to comment on individual students and consequences, officials wrote.

“This matter is not taken lightly,” the district said.

In her letter, Collier described the incident as traumatic. She’s right. Students and staff at Paseo deserve all the emotional support they can get from district mental health specialists.

Will Richmond students who did nothing wrong receive the same assistance? They should. One student is not representative of an entire school or community. But the district has to be forceful in weeding out hate and harassment that target other students. In its letter, Richmond officials said the incident “demonstrates our need to continue our efforts to foster an inclusive and safe environment.”

Strong words. Will action follow? The pledge means nothing if meaningful change doesn’t occur.

“This is indeed a sobering moment, but it is a moment in time where we must take steps to disrupt racist ideologies and behaviors and take collective action against systemic racism in our communities,” Collier wrote. “Kansas City Public Schools will continue to be an organization that stands against racism, bias and hate, and will continue the critical work of creating a welcoming and nurturing environment for all students.”

Here’s one way to put that commitment into action: High school athletes are leaders. The Paseo and Richmond teams could address racism and hate as one by coming together for a do-over. We would love to see a new unity game played under different and more welcoming circumstances. Players locking arms during pregame festivities and wearing T-shirts that denounce hate would be a great idea as well.

Kansas City Public Schools officials weren’t wrong for calling off the game. But a student-led demonstration of a spirit of sportsmanship that defies bigotry would speak louder than just punishing an outlying offender. It would send a message that one ugly incident can’t derail these student-athletes’ spirit. Togetherness is vastly more powerful than hate.

This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 10:23 AM.