An Arizona high school student was told that she couldn't wear a Black Lives Matter T-shirt because it was "disruptive," The Washington Post reports. Mariah Havard, 15, was sent to the principal's office and given a blank white T-shirt to wear instead. "A white T-shirt that's meaningless has nothing to do with what I'm standing for," Havard said. Buckeye Union High School officials said her shirt posed "a potential danger to students."
Havard claims she was the target of incendiary comments from white students while wearing the shirt, including "that shirt is meaningless" and "black lives don't matter."
In response to the ordeal, several students walked out of classes Monday morning and protested outside the school with help from local civil rights organizations, a USA Today affiliate reports. The district's superintendent later issued an apology letter to Havard: "I want to apologize for any embarrassment or uncomfortableness regarding the district's attempted enforcement of the school dress code policy," he wrote. "Sometimes there are important messages, such as 'Black Lives Matter,' that represent both emotional and complicated issues that, without proper understanding and context, create misunderstanding, division and disruption."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He called the incident a "unifying moment" for the school and promised to review the dress code, and he even asked Havard to help the staff develop programs to address the school's race-related issues. Havard, for her part, seemed pleased with the response.
-
Margaret Atwood’s ‘deliciously naughty’ memoirIn the Spotlight ‘Bean-spilling’ book by The Handmaid’s Tale author is ‘immensely readable’
-
Being a school crossing guard has become a deadly jobUnder the Radar At least 230 crossing guards have been hit by cars over the last decade
-
Crossword: November 4, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
