Race and Recreation Memo
FROM: Kristopher G. Arason, Principal of Red River High School
Red River High students who chose to wear Ku Klux Klan (KKK) uniforms to the school hockey team's State tournament Semifinal game, it is my responsibility to personally address this unfortunate situation. While it goes without saying that the actions of these three students is a disappointment to all of us, as the history of racial discrimination epitomized by the KKK is in no way representative of our school's values, simply condemning this insensitive act is not an adequate response. The three freshmen students responsible for making such an irresponsible
decision have been identified, and they will be disciplined accordingly, but as the Principal of Red River High School it is my goal to determine exactly why any of our student's believed it would be acceptable to support our athletic achievements by donning the uniform of a racist and bigoted terroristic group. Although the playoff "Whiteout" is a valued local tradition in our
community, where most students, and their parents as well, have played hockey at some level during their lives, I regret to inform you that, unless the student body of Red River High can demonstrate a renewed commitment to respecting all races, religions, creeds and colors, myself and district administrators may be forced to prohibit the "Whiteout"...
To that end, every Red River High
class will be spending one hour each day for the next month visiting the school library and conducting research on racism in the American South. After this month of reflection has
passed, I will be expecting a three-page essay from each of you, covering what you have learned and how this process has affected you. This is not a punishment, and students should not view this exercise as paying for somebody else's crime; instead, I urge each and every Red River High student to challenge themselves, looking inward to discover how you personally feel about racism and discrimination. I do not want to read academic research papers on the KKK, but rather your own personal expression on the impact that your research has had on you, and how your views of the recent hockey game incident have changed.
The second aspect of Red River High School's plan to address the negative attention this incident has attracted to our community involves managing the media frenzy…
