Student council members at a Washington state high school were accused of promoting white supremacy after proposing a mural of the school’s unofficial mascot, the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor, be painted as their senior gift.
The school district’s diversity, equity, and inclusion office raised concerns that the painting represents white supremacy and would need to be accompanied by women and people of color to meet the Evergreen Public School district’s racial and gender equity standards, KTTH reports. Klarissa Hightower is the Director of Equity and Inclusion at Evergreen Public Schools.
Student councilors at Mountain View High School in Vancouver proposed the artwork because their school’s mascot is The Thunders, and the name “Thor” translates to “thunder.” There is already a statue of Thor at the school’s main entrance, which added further confusion among the student body government.
Members of the council were summoned to appear before district staff, including the equity advancement specialist. “They had an issue with the image not being racially and gender inclusive, as well as upholding an image of pure colonization, white power, white supremacy, and even going as far as to say that it was alluding to racist and anti-black imagery in the south,” student council member Tara told KTTH. Tara said it was a “very uncomfortable position for a bunch of high school students to be put in.”
Hellbound and Down 