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Black student body president, Maya Peterson was forced to step down after she posted the above photo, poking fun at her White male classmates. In the photo, Peterson is seen wearing a Yale sweatshirt, holding a hockey stick, with hashtags like “#romney2016,” “#confederate” and “#peakedinhighschool.”

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It all started when Peterson posted a “Black Power” photo of herself with 10 other Black students, holding up their fists. Majority students at the Lawrenceville school saw the photo and complained to the dean. Peterson responded by posting the photo above, designed to imitate the typical “Lawrenceville boi.” What was simply a joke, commenting on the uplifting of these White male students ended up being a testament to the simultaneous progression and regression Peterson’s prestigious and private Lawrenceville School seems to be stuck in the middle of.

Peterson told Buzzfeed, “I’m not saying what I did was right. But it wasn’t racist. I was just calling those guys exactly what they are. And Lawrenceville is the type of place where those kids are idolized.” She continued, “Yes, I am making a mockery of the right-wing, confederate-flag hanging, openly misogynistic Lawrentians. If that’s a large portion of the school’s male population, then I think the issue is not with my bringing attention to it in a lighthearted way, but rather why no one has brought attention to it before…”

Many students were offended by Peterson’s photo, but do that mean it was grounds to strip her of her student body president title? Peterson made historical waves as the first Black female president of the $53,000/year school. One student in particular, David, claims that she violated school policy, “That’s what I call left-wing extremism,” David continued, saying that the photo “violated the spirit of the Lawrenceville community. It was hateful. It wasn’t inclusive. When I think of Maya Peterson, I don’t think of someone who is an avid proponent of progress or of inclusiveness. I think of someone who is hateful. She had a hateful spirit.”

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Peterson’s not pretending she doesn’t understand the impact of her actions. She gets it, but she stands by what she said and what it means. “I understand why I hurt people’s feelings, but I didn’t become president to make sure rich white guys had more representation on campus,” she said. “Let’s be honest. They’re not the ones that feel uncomfortable here.”

Peterson stands on a larger platform in this school as the first Black president. There are more than enough eyes fixated on her every move and especially this particular move. While other students can speak freely on whether or not she can afford to pay for the school or call her racist, she’s not allowed to do the same. I understand why the school would take this action. It doesn’t mean I like it. Peterson said that she wanted to be president to make the school a “truly unified and diverse” place, but her actions and the subsequent consequences have made those efforts null and void. This proves that we still have a long way to go in combating racism. And it makes you think that equality, even on the smallest of scales, is unattainable.

What do you think about Maya Peterson having to resign for posting the photo above? Sound off below.

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