Students at Lincoln-Way East High School walked out of class Wednesday afternoon to protest racism following a football game incident and a disputed allegation involving the school’s cross-country program.
Carrying signs and cheering, students at the Frankfort school said they wanted to support Homewood-Flossmoor students and push school leaders to address their concerns.
“I’ll be able to say I stood for something in high school,” one student said. “I actually decided to use my voice to speak out against racism and hatred.”
The walkout followed Friday night’s football game between Lincoln-Way East and Homewood-Flossmoor, where video appeared to show some Lincoln-Way East students making monkey noises and using racist language.
Homewood-Flossmoor parent Kristle Green said her son witnessed the behavior.
“He seen the kids, you know, making the monkey gestures and using the N word, calling them the N word,” Green said. “And he was very, you know, disturbed by it.”
A second allegation emerged from a cross-country meet Saturday. Homewood-Flossmoor school officials and parents said a Lincoln-Way East coach made racially charged remarks during a pep talk.
Brian Foster, whose daughter is on Homewood-Flossmoor’s cross-country team, described the alleged comment as “something to the effect” of, “let’s go out there and chase these monkeys down.”
Lincoln-Way East officials characterized the cross-country incident as a misunderstanding. In an emailed statement, officials said the coach “merely recounted a well-known story” about an area of the Lyons Township course called “the jungle,” which they said is labeled on publicly available maps.
School officials separately apologized to the Homewood-Flossmoor community for the behavior at the football game, saying it did not reflect the expectations and standards for Lincoln-Way students.
For students who participated in Wednesday’s walkout, the protest was an opportunity to speak out about what happened and demand a response.
“They be trying to downplay situations like this, and we have to show them that this is actually big,” one student said.
Another student expressed disappointment in the students involved in the football incident.
“I feel ashamed that my school would do that, but I do feel like our school, we are not a racist school,” the student said. “I feel ashamed that our students did that.”
Asked what they wanted from administrators, one student urged them to listen.
“Don’t just ignore your students,” the student said. “Listen to your students and actually do something.”
In a note to parents and students before the protest, Lincoln-Way East officials said they would not prevent the walkout and had sought to offer a safe space for students to express their feelings and engage in meaningful conversation.
Officials also said they warned families that students could face disciplinary action for leaving the building without authorization.
Some students said they could receive three detentions per period for participating. When asked whether they were willing to accept that punishment, they answered, “Yes!”
The controversy has also prompted calls for accountability from Homewood-Flossmoor families and school leaders. Homewood-Flossmoor Superintendent Jennifer Norrell said Tuesday that possible litigation remained under review.
“Our board of education’s attorney is still working with our board to make a determination as to what that looks like,” Norrell said.
At Wednesday’s walkout, students said coming together mattered.
“It makes me feel proud of myself,” one student said of speaking out against racism and hatred.
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