Adventures in Racism: Covington Catholic High School Students on the Loose in D.C.

     On January 18, 2019 a group of high school students from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the 2019 “March for Life”.  In and of itself, that was certainly a political act.  Wearing “Make America Great Again” caps further polarized participants and spectators (not to mention those who had gathered to stage their own demonstrations).  As these students (and their chaperones) had to have known, a MAGA cap is seen by many as a symbol of white privilege and racism.  This group from Covington was clearly itching for a fight.

     The students soon engaged in a mutual taunt-fest with a group of Hebrew Israelites.  Where were their chaperones?  I fail to see how telling the Hebrew Israelites that they should “go back to Africa” was going to accomplish anything apart from ratcheting up the hatred.  For good measure, several of the students could be heard shouting “build that wall”, another sentiment designed to douse the fire in gasoline.  They should have stuck to their school chants (which they were also employing).  Again, where were their chaperones?

     It was at this point, according to most accounts that Nathan Phillips stepped forward.  Mr. Phillips is an Omaha Nation elder (and veteran!) who was attending the first Indigenous People’s March in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  He was beating a ceremonial drum, praying, and had decided to try and move between the Covington students and the Hebrew Israelites to diffuse the situation.  Unfortunately, the Covington students responded with tomahawk chops, taunts, and ignorance.  One student, a junior named Nick Sandmann, stood in Mr. Phillip’s path and fixed him with a smirk seen round the world.  In a disingenuous interview with NBC’s Today Show, Mr. Sandmann subsequently attempted to deny all responsibility:  he wasn’t smirking, the students were not chanting anything offensive, and they couldn’t be racists because their church wouldn’t tolerate it.  Of course... and those MAGA caps provided additional evidence that these students were as pure as the driven snow.  For the last time, where were the chaperones?

     Mr. Sandmann has emerged as one more poster child for the racial divisions that have torn at our country’s fiber these past two years.  Let’s hope we never see that smirk again, and that the Most Rev. Roger Foys stops apologizing to these Covington Catholic high school students and instead keeps them close to home.  They could certainly benefit from a broader education:  one that includes racial sensitivity, social justice, and compassion... not to mention responsible adult role models.