A racist and sexually explicit rap song posted on social media last week by a freshman student at Palisades High School sparked a strong reaction from students, parents and administrators.
“A freshman female student thought it would be a funny joke to come up with a rap song about black people and she was using the N-word, saying sexual things and called out one boy by name,” said Lucy Higgins, a junior at Pali High.
Gedaliah Brown, also a junior, said he had to listen to the song twice because he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I had to make sure I heard it right because it was extremely vulgar. The rap was inappropriate, mean and just terrible,” Brown said.
Another junior, Emerson Duggan, echoed the shockwaves that were running through Pali High on Friday, saying, “I can’t believe she actually posted that. What was going through her head? It’s outrageous.”
The Post obtained a copy of the lyrics, but has chosen not to publish them.
Parents were equally upset.
“The things expressed [in the song] were worse than what was said by the fraternity boys by a long shot and with all of the stuff going on around our country this song is in such poor taste,” one high school parent anonymously told the Post.
The fraternity incident being referenced occurred at the University of Oklahoma on Sunday, March 8.
In that incident, a video surfaced showing fraternity members shouting racist slurs, which led to the closure of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
The rap, which has since been taken down from the song-sharing social media app called RapChat, led to the Pali High administration taking swift action to address concerns from students and parents.
“We immediately responded to the incident, and we are aware that it is a very upsetting situation for everyone,” said Brad Daley, executive assistant to Pali High principal Pamela Magee.
In an email sent to parents Friday evening, Magee said administrators had been working all day with students to address issues related to the song and to racist hate speech on campus.
“Our staff has worked diligently to investigate the incident with all students involved, and we are taking appropriate action,” Magee said in the email.
Immediate actions taken involved asking the freshman student in question to immediately remove the song from all social media platforms, holding student forums, setting a plan in motion to prevent future crises and developing a student task force.
“The Black Student Union was contacted and we had one student representative address the school on the P.A. system Friday morning before classes started,” Daley said. “We wanted him to constructively address the school community.”
About 200 students, along with teachers and faculty, packed Mercer Hall on Friday, March 13 for a lunchtime assembly to allow students to air their thoughts and concerns about the song.
The media was not allowed in the assembly, but students and parents spoke to the Post after it was over.
Freshman Collette Keating said students got up and talked about their experiences with the N-word and racial prejudice.
“It was a discussion about how people are being profiled, and we talked about how it affects us,” Keating said.
After exiting the assembly, freshman Gabi Metzger said, “We are raised believing anything is possible, that backgrounds shouldn’t affect your chances to create change. Everyone is equal, and we all deserve to have an equal chance.”
Metzger said one student who spoke during the forum posed an interesting and thought-provoking question: “Imagine your brother, sister or mother being verbally whipped for their skin color. Because that’s what the song was like, a lashing against students.”
Another student at the assembly spoke about his experience as a young black teenager living in Pacific Palisades, said Metzger.
She said the student talked about racial profiling in the Palisades.
“He confessed that at times he gets followed when he’s casually walking around (Pacific Palisades), day and night, and is monitored and watched just because he is black,” Metzger said.
Keating said the forum ended on a hopeful note, with students feeling supported by one another.
“There was no anger during our meeting, but it was emotional. We advocated for equality together,” she said.
What will happen to the student who posted the song remains to be seen.
Metzger, Keating and Duggan collectively agreed that the student should be expelled for her actions.
“She (the creator of the song) will be disciplined appropriately,” Daley said.
“The anger and hurt our campus has felt cannot be healed in one day. Racism cannot be eradicated in one day,” Magee said in the email to parents. “We at Palisades Charter High School have recommitted ourselves to continue a dialogue and educate our staff and our students on how to create a climate of trust, inclusion, and acceptance of one another.”
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