High School Student Sparks Outrage With Racist Promposal Sign
Prom season is upon us, which means that along with inventive prom dresses, we'll be seeing some creative promposals. It also means, unfortunately, that we're seeing some problematic ones, to put it mildly. A year after a photo went viral of two white girls holding a sign that reads "You may be picking cotton, but we’re picking you to go to prom with us" with their black friend, a student in Florida decided it was a good idea to prompose to his girlfriend with a sign reading, "If I was black, I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white, so I’m picking u 4 prom?"
The Herald Tribute reports that a photo of 18-year-old Noah Crowley's sign has circulated online, leading to expressions of disgust on Twitter.
Tracey Beeker, a spokesperson from Noah's school district, said in a statement emailed to Teen Vogue that the district was investigating the sign and that the school held a meeting on Monday for students and staff to discuss "economic, racial, ethnic, and gender disparities."
"Although this message is one student’s opinion, we take the matter of racial relations and school safety seriously, and we look forward to working with our students and these outside groups to have a meaningful and informative dialogue and expanded curriculum related to this important national topic," the statement reads.
As for Noah himself, he appears to have issued an apology on social media, according to 10News a well as in a statement by his family that was provided to Teen Vogue. It reads, "I want to sincerely apologize if I have offended anyone with the picture going around. That was not my intention. Anyone who knows me or [redacted] knows that that's not how we truly feel. It was a completely joke and it went too far. After reading the texts and Snapchat's I truly see how I have offended people and I'm sorry." The Crowley family also issued a statement saying "While our son has apologized himself, on behalf of our family, we wish to also express our most sincere apologies for the terrible words used in his 'promposal.' We love our son dearly and know that he is a far better person than reflected in this reckless behavior. That said, as loving parents, we also feel compelled to share our own deep regret and serious concern about his actions." They also noted that Noah wouldn't be attending any of the rest of the year's "school activities or functions, including the Prom or graduation."
Related: Have Promposals Gotten Too Extra?
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