A viral video caught a white high school principal refusing to give a Black graduate her high school diploma for dancing on stage, and she wasn't the only one.
Footage obtained by ABC 13 shows Hafsah Abdur-Rahman happily skirting across the stage and dancing as she walked up to receive her diploma during the Philadelphia High School for Girls' graduation ceremony on June 9. As she approached Principal Lisa Mesi, the administrator denied the 17-year-old girl her degree, and she went back to her seat empty-handed.
“She (the principal) stole that moment from me,” Abdur-Rahman told reporters. “I will never get that again.”
According to the graduate, families weren't allowed to cheer or clap for students while they were receiving their diplomas on stage. Abdur-Rahman claims her degree was withheld because some people in the audience laughed.
Even though she understood the rules, the teenager believes people should be able to celebrate their achievements during these ceremonies.
“If they thought that I shouldn’t do ‘The Griddy’ across the stage and do the Girls’ High traditions, nobody should have been able to wave or blow kisses or do period signs because I feel like that’s the same thing. I feel like that’s unfair,” Abdur-Rahman said. “I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t even enjoy the rest of the graduation."
Abdur-Rahman said three more girls reportedly didn't get their diplomas during the event. Another video surfaced of a different graduate simply waving at the crowd before Mesi denied her a degree. More footage showed a girl simply making a hand gesture before being instructed back to her seat.
ABC 13 revealed the students only received their diplomas after the ceremony.
Abdur-Rahman said the school's assistant superintendent apologized to her and her mother, Jaszmine Reid, and discussed the situation further.
“It’s 2023, a lot has happened,” Reid told reporters. “These girls went through COVID together. Our kids are not even living up to see high school. I understand traditions and rules are set in place for a reason, and we’re not saying they should be broken, but it might need to be revised also.”
The School District of Philadelphia also addressed the viral incident and confirmed they're looking into it:
“The District does not condone the withholding of earned diplomas based on family members cheering for their graduates,” the district wrote in a statement, per ABC 13. “We apologize to all the families and graduates who were impacted and are further looking into this matter to avoid it happening in the future.”
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