Minnesota School Faces Lawsuit Over Racist 'Wigger Day'

A Minnesota school district allowed a homecoming event called "Wigger Day," during which students wore clothes and behaved in a manner that "from their perspective, mimicked black culture," according to a federal class action lawsuit filed against the district on Friday.

The suit alleges that despite student council voting on a "tropical theme" for homecoming in 2009, a group of approximately 60 students from the predominantly white school instead attended the event dressed for "Wigger Wednesday" in "oversized sports jerseys, low-slung pants, baseball hats cocked to the side and 'doo rags.'"

"Wigger is a pejorative slang term for a white person who emulates the mannerisms, language and fashions associated with African-American culture," the complaint explains.

Students also referred to the activity as "Wangsta Day" -- meaning "white gangsta" or "Red Winger gangsta" -- and created a Facebook group advocating for the event. (Warning: This Facebook link contains offensive language.)

The plaintiff, former Red Wing High School student Quera Pruitt, an African American, claims that the school's lack of intervention caused her "severe emotional distress including depression, loss of sleep, stress, crying, humiliation, anxiety, and shame." Pruitt filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Minnesota on behalf of an unnamed class of "all students who experienced discrimination as a result of Wigger Day." The complaint states the class could include more than 40 people.

Pruitt's attorney, Joshua Williams, says her family hoped the incident would be addressed following "Wigger Day" 2008. While it was never an officially-sanctioned school event, the family discovered "Wigger Wednesday" was something of a tradition.

After the 2009 incident, "[Pruitt's] mom came up to the school, attempted to reach out to the school board, the superintendent, and the principal, but Red Wing's response was essentially to sweep this under the rug and act like it didn't happen," Williams told The Huffington Post.

According to Williams, Pruitt became depressed, quit the cheerleading squad, left student council, skipped her senior prom and even considered dropping out of school.

Pruitt also declined to participate in the school's Martin Luther King Day ceremonies, considering the memorial a "farce." She graduated in 2010 and moved back to Little Rock, Ark.

Williams added that the school district has acknowledged that "Wigger Day" took place in 2007 and 2008, but neglected to prevent the event from happening in 2009.

Red Wing principal Beth Borgen and school district superintendent Karsten Anderson, both defendants in the suit, say the school is committed to creating a learning environment free from discrimination.

According to a 2009 article on KARE-11, students participating in "Wigger Day" that year were immediately sent to change their clothes, but no additional punishment followed.

Williams, who is seeking $75,000 in damages for his client, did not know whether "Wigger Day" took place again in 2010.

A statement from Anderson obtained by HuffPost says the district "denies the allegations that it has created a racially hostile environment and looks forward to meeting these allegations in court."

Williams says that position is "symptomatic of Red Wing's response to 'Wigger Day' from the onset."

"The students shouldn't have felt empowered to hold 'Wigger Day' in 2009," Williams said. "These students were not disciplined, they were not counseled and they were not punished. This could have been a teachable moment."

READ the complaint:

Wangsta complaint

View more documents from Post-Bulletin Co.

Comments

[Jeffrey Bryson]

07:44 PM on 08/20/2011

Short of engaging in disciplinary measures against the students who dressed in that manner that day--which would have brought on a flood of other lawsuits--I'm not sure what the school was supposed to do.

[Martin Privat]

09:05 PM on 08/10/2011

Just shows we still have a long way to go in terms of acceptance and race. The comments show this perfectly. If the school knew about this in 2007 and 2008 then didn't do anything to at least address this issue in 2009 then they are culpable. The school should have known better. Period!

[captainindustry]

12:43 PM on 08/09/2011

Kids will be kids.

Try to use it as a teachable moment and don't make too big a deal out of it. Otherwise it gets blown out of proportion.

[lib2dbone]

06:22 PM on 08/11/2011

I can't believe you are that daft. You are probably just missing a soul and a conscience.

[trippin]

11:21 AM on 08/21/2011

Kids will be kids, and bigoted parents will raise bigoted children. We can't cure them of their mental illness, but we sure can control their behavior.

This is unacceptable -- period. Those that don't understand it must be missing the ability to stand in this young teenager's shoes -- a member of a small minority being publicly ridiculed by a gang of white supremacists while the school throws up their hands and claims they didn't sanction it.

I'll lay a wager with you. If as a joke African American students wore what the school thought were gang colors, you can bet they'd be hauling them out of class and suspending them for it.

What is wrong with Minnesota? They seem to be vying with Texas.

[LivelyLexie]

06:08 PM on 08/08/2011

Um, okay. This is totally inappropriate, yes. But worth a lawsuit? Absolutely not.
Causing "severe emotional distress including depression, loss of sleep, stress, crying, humiliation, anxiety, and shame"? Come ON.

[Plasma003]

08:41 PM on 08/08/2011

Not to mention that it wasn't sanctioned by the school. I hope the lawyer gets disbarred for the frivolous lawsuit..

[Ruth1966]

07:58 PM on 08/10/2011

"Not to mention that it wasn't sanctioned by the school. I hope the lawyer gets disbarred for the frivolous lawsuit.. "

== It should be summarily dismissed, with costs
assessed to the plaintiff.

It's a spurious law suit, designed for its nuisance value against a school district that is small and probably cannot afford a lengthy and expensive litigation.

He won't get disbarred, though he should be sanctioned. But that won't happen either.

This is why we need loser pay legislation; it would discourage this kind of stuff that clogs up the courts, and causes small communities who can ill afford to defend against this kind of meretricious litigation. Fanned and faved, Plasma003>==

[ClintJCL]

01:19 PM on 08/11/2011

It doesn't need to be sanctioned, it just needs to be ignored. If a kid beats the crap out of another kid every day, but the school doesn't stop it from happening, the school is responsible. They take our kids by law and force them to be there -- they are responsible for wrongdoing. Has always been the case. Has nothing to do with whether they sanction something.

[atexasdem]

11:47 PM on 08/08/2011

I wish I could agree with you but I can't. In this day and age it seems a lawsuit is the only way to get some peoples attention. The woman went to the principle, the superintendent, nothing happened. Nothing happened until she filed the suit. That got their attention. I'll agree that the lawsuit never should have happened but what other options did she have? This is not unusual. I remember recently reading a bout a similar case where the people tried for eighteen months to get their issue resolved. Nothing happened until it hit the courts. Same thing happens with police departments, government agencies and even large companies. The people had already volunteered to donate anything they won to a local charity. Most lawsuits didn't need to happen if organizations had tried to resolve issues instead of ignoring them in the early stages.

[LivelyLexie]

06:28 AM on 08/09/2011

"The people had already volunteere­d to donate anything they won to a local charity."
I hope that they do.

[HockeyMom]

11:45 AM on 08/08/2011

Gee I'm having a hard time with this. Really? You see your own wearing a certain style and then feel real depression because you see others wearing that style. Was it rude to do, absolutely, should it ruin your life, no. Am I blaming the victim? maybe a little. We raised a generation in a padded room, there is some truth to letting things flow off the back. Why didn't the offended people make a mockery of the event and wear silly polo shirts and plaid shorts to school with some stylized boat shoes? Now that would of made a statement. All this depression and quitting is just that, depression and quitting with out any decisions or proactive movement.

[NotLikeYouAtAll]

08:31 PM on 08/08/2011

Two wrongs do not make a right. I perplexes me that someone who knows that they are blaming the victim continues to do so. All of your excuses for not supporting the victim are escapism. You need not take responsibility for your comments. Right? Is it not time to give people a break from racism? Why do not white people who know racism when they see it say anything? Superintendent? Principal? Other students? Other parents? Pretty sad when the bullies have a support structure. One large problem in America is the lack of care for others. Most Americans could give a crap. Or they would do as you do and blame the victim. Colors on the other foot and there would be CNN coverage. The discipline would include prison terms. We Americans of color know how the game goes.

[HockeyMom]

11:04 AM on 08/09/2011

Thank you for your comment. I agree with most of what you say. My disagreement would be that it's not a you vs me situation. It's us vs them. I believe we have to fight this situation. I do feel the biggest bullies are the administrators and they set the pace for the schools. I just think there is a better way than the courts. First the old white boys run the courts and this will drag on for 10 years and there will be no satisfaction in the end for the woman. Be more like MLK and change the game, make people notice and think, do the silly so you get the communication started. All she will accomplish with the courts is losing her money and hair in aggravation. I am on your side.

[lynninny]

10:47 AM on 08/08/2011

I am disappointed that the adults in this young woman's school environment did not do the right thing, or see this day for what is was. At best, this could have been a learning experience for everyone. At worst, the school sanctioned an event that was indeed racist, mean-spirited, and ignorant, even if the students participating didn't understand why. Anyone who accuses this young woman of being oversensitive or a gold-digger might, as "Banghouse" posts below, "look at the word w*gger, think about it, think about it, pause, think about it and maybe a light bulb will light up."

[captainindustry]

06:42 PM on 08/07/2011

Pruitt also declined to participate in the school's Martin Luther King Day ceremonies, considering the memorial a "farce"

And it will remain a farce until the young black leaders get on board.

[LDK1]

07:31 PM on 08/07/2011

"And it will remain a farce until the young black leaders get on board."
What is your definition of "on board"?
To me, this is a bit like telling a veteran who believes publicly sponsored Memorial Day celebrations are a farce - maybe because they believe the government does not demonstrate an appreciation for its soldiars, in practical terms - so they avoid the pomp.. that they need to "get on board"


"Apparently she was not suffering from too much discrimina­tion."
What does discrimination have to do with anything? The law suit does not involve discrimination.

[HockeyMom]

11:48 AM on 08/08/2011

...so, let me get this straight...a racially hostile environment does not equate to discrimination in your world.

[captainindustry]

06:41 PM on 08/07/2011

Pruitt became depressed, quit the cheerleading squad, left student council, skipped her senior prom and even considered dropping out of school.

Apparently she was not suffering from too much discrimination.

[FrankPembleton]

09:18 PM on 08/07/2011

Why, because they "allowed" her to be a cheerleader? I guess in order to feel discriminated against, she should have been banned from the school completely.

[Ruth1966]

10:09 PM on 08/07/2011

From what activity was she excluded? What privileges afforded to other students were not afforded to her?

[trippin]

11:25 AM on 08/21/2011

Oh, how lucky she was to be enveloped in such a loving and supportive environment!

I know, I know - that's only for white folks. She should be happy we share our water fountain with her and don't make her use an outhouse.

[LDK1]

06:18 PM on 08/07/2011

I don't understand the big deal people are making about this - regarding the the civil law suit. Fact is, the U.S. is a litigious society, evidenced by the fact that a law suit is filed every 30 seconds.

A significant number of Americans choose to employ the civil litigation system to obtain redress for injuries they believe to have been inflicted upon them, and alleged victims of racial or ethnic abuse / insensitivity are no exception.

The article merely stated the complaintant filed a law suit. It will be up to the court to decide whether the case holds up to standard required to bring to trial, pursue settlement, etc. Furthermore, if the case does proceed there is no guarantee that she will win.

If a white student had a similar experience in a predominantly African American school, she would also be within her rights to file a law suit.

When the lawyer a couple years ago filed a multi million dollar law suit against his dry cleaners for ruining his favorite suit, did that generate 4,200 comments? As far as I'm concerned it boils down to the same entitlement mentality that people are complaining about here.

[Ruth1966]

08:31 PM on 08/10/2011

"I don't understand the big deal people are making about this - regarding the the civil law suit. Fact is, the U.S. is a litigious society, evidenced by the fact that a law suit is filed every 30 seconds."

==Which is why we need loser pays rules, to tax the costs against the losing party; that would discourage substandard lawyers like the one representing this student from filing spurious law suits, that are expensive to defend against and thus coerce unrighteous settlements and easy money from small municipalities and school districts that just don't have the kind of money required.

we also need stronger disciplinary deterents for unprincipled lawyers and their opportunistic clients.==

[Adam Franklin Wakefield]

05:51 PM on 08/07/2011

ok this is a little funny...do many people realize many black schools in the south have a white day where they dress like a white person....you know why white people dont sue bc it is funny to see black people dress like white preppies...i think she needs to get over herself laugh a little bit and move on with her life

[blizzard man robot voice]

08:28 PM on 08/07/2011

It's actually quite sad that a black school sees wearing collared polo shirts and proper fitting clothing as dressing white. Keep on with the segregation I guess.

[Nik Sethi]

05:21 PM on 08/09/2011

Yeah well...stereotypes exist. If everyone were the same life would be boring. And not all stereotypes are bad. Its good to take generalizations and cast them into a lighter side than keep it serious.

[Taymullah]

04:19 PM on 08/10/2011

suck it racist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4KmdKlotAQ

[trippin]

11:26 AM on 08/21/2011

How many? Show me.

[blessyourlittleheart]

04:44 PM on 08/07/2011

I feel some depression, loss of sleep, stress, crying, humiliation, anxiety, and shame on the other 364 days of the year when it's a normal style.

[HockeyMom]

03:02 PM on 08/08/2011

OK, that was cute... I do think that the kids who wear their pants below their excrement hole should read the book, The Longest Walk. In fact just read the first page and learn how the Russians used over sized pants to control their captives. Then read the rest of the book and witness man's triumph over the most adverse conditions. Flees and big foot to boot!

[conservativewhitemale]

03:57 PM on 08/07/2011

It would seem obvious that integrated schools, all schools really, need to go back to school uniforms. Think beyond this particular instance, and the kids who are ridiculed for not having the latest/greatest sneakers and fassion? Schools shouldn't be microcosm's for our society's immature and unenlightened issues..

[Ruth1966]

08:20 PM on 08/10/2011

"Schools shouldn't be microcosm'­s for our society's immature and unenlighte­ned issues.. "

==agreed; fanned and faved!==

[bahkey]

06:05 PM on 08/06/2011

Isn't there a high school in mississippi that has separate black and white proms?

[corwin]

01:38 PM on 08/07/2011

BUt,they've started calling the bedbugs,"Chegroes' there.

[bahkey]

02:00 PM on 08/07/2011

? ? ?

[Ruth1966]

07:20 PM on 08/10/2011

In years past, they have done that in Georgia too, because of an inability of the white and black students to agree on the music for the proms. They also have elected two homecoming queens: a black homecoming queen and a white one.

I think now that white kids are embracing rap and hip hop, and interracial dating that's
mostly a thing of the past.

I haven't heard of it here in years.

[loco104]

04:39 PM on 08/06/2011

What about TAG? (Togetherness + Awareness = Greatness). Did anyone mention that she was a part of this group of students trying to work out the issues that the school district had? Maybe if people would have been a bit more honest or would have come up with better ideas than just sueing the district for the instance, this would not be happening. That was the goal with this group and many people overlook that this group is one amazing way we've taken strides to improving the problem this day may have created. Maybe if people would have spoken up sooner, there would not be a huge lawsuit and bad press about a school district that really isn't as bad as people make it seem. I don't think sharing opinions with a very trusting group (that you vote in new members-- very trustworthy and secretive, in a way) would cause you to lose much more sleep over the issue.

[loyalist1]

01:11 PM on 08/06/2011

What do you expect when a popular clothing style is to have pants falling off your butt cheeks? And the generation's music is blatantly about sex, drugs and violence? Does anyone think that such influences have gone too far and they would lead to some sort of a backlash?

[Banghouse]

12:30 AM on 08/07/2011

Pathetic, you're not addressing the case at all.

[Ruth1966]

07:27 PM on 08/10/2011

"Pathetic, you're not addressing the case at all. "

==He made a good point, and the "case" needs to be summarily dismissed.==

[BurtonDesque]

02:24 AM on 08/07/2011

Do you like your red herring baked or fried?