Updated as of 6/22/2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Remember that Black girl who was seen in a video scuffling with a white student in the school hallway? Well, six months later, it seems shorty is finally getting some justice.
Shawnee Mission East High School student Brey’anna Brown suffered a broken nose after being socked in the face by a white student in the hallway one Monday afternoon last November. According to a bystander video, the scuffle came after Brown confronted two white girls about using a racial slur, which resulted in the white teen taunting her with it and eventually shoving her.
Following months of both students and family demanding accountability, the teen pleaded guilty to aggravated battery/great harm in Johnson County Juvenile Court, per KSHB’s report.
The teen was sentenced to 18 months in juvenile custody.
Wait, What Happened Last Year?
Morning announcements at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Ks. were interrupted November 15, 2023 when students got up from their seats for a protest. The cause wasn’t environmental awareness or food insecurity — it was to demand action from the school following an alleged racist attack.
In a video posted by The Kansas City Defender, a Black girl is seen confronting two white girls in the hallway for calling her their “slave.” When the two girls walked away from her, a white boy in another clip is heard saying, “Man shut the f-ck up!” It prompted the Black student to swing back around and see who was talking junk.
Things got real heated real quick in the next five seconds.
In the video, a lil’ boy dropped his bag on the floor, stormed toward this Black girl and pushed her with both hands. As an altercation ensues, the student filming the commotion yells, “He said nigga! He said nigga!” as the two throw punches at each other.
The incident ended when a male teacher barged in and picked up the white boy to separate the two. The result was the hospitalization of the Black student for a broken nose, according to The Kansas City Star. However, the students’ demonstration suggests the high schoolers aren’t satisfied with the school’s response to what they called a hate crime.
Read more from The Kansas City Star:
Students held signs that read, “We demand action! Protect students of color,” “We don’t feel safe,” and “Take action now.” They called on school leaders to take stronger steps to eradicate racism and issue more serious discipline for discrimination and hate speech.
District spokeswoman Kristin Babcock said she could not comment on the incident due to student privacy issues. The district has not said what actions were taken after the fight, or whether police were called.
“We take incidents of racism and physical violence very seriously,” Babcock said. “We do have a code of conduct in place, and we follow our policies and procedures.”
It is unclear how the school may have punished the white student, but students at the protest claimed he received a suspension they felt was not a strong enough punishment.
The students told The Star it wasn’t the first time they dealt with racism from other students. One incident involved the principal allegedly calling Black students “intimidating” and looking like they’re going to “jump someone,” per The Defender. However, the students told reporters that every time they bring their concerns to the administration, they never really do much about it.
One thing is for sure — it’s going to take more than a timeout to resolve this issue. Racist violence is nothing to play about.