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Minneapolis officials are investigating a racist video posted by a Prior Lake High School student. The student was seen encouraging a black female classmate of hers to commit suicide. In the said video, derogatory slurs were also used against 14-year-old student, Nya Sigin.
The video went viral online, with activist Shaun King posting it on her Instagram page. She captioned the video: "Young nasty racist Karens soon become grown nasty racist Karens.”
In the said video, the student using the N-word was identified as Prior Lake High School student, Jaelyn Crooks.
Prior Lake High School’s Nya Sigin responds to racist video
While responding to the video, Nya stated that it was “the most disgusting thing” she had ever witnessed in her life.
The freshman student added:
“When I first saw the video, I hadn’t really processed everything that was going on. I was hearing the words but yesterday I was in my counselor’s office, and I was really talking about it to them, and that’s when it all really hit me and how personal it was to me. That was just really hard because I just had this wave of emotions.”
Her sister Elizabeth Sigin, a Prior Lake High School senior, was not surprised by the clip. She claimed she saw “racist things all the time.” However, the second half of the video, which included threats and vile language, really angered her.
She added:
“I don’t know at this point what I can do to make sure that this stops for good because it’s too much on my sister. It’s too much on the family to just constantly be in these issues where somebody is harassing her and somebody is bullying her and she’s only a freshman. She still has three more years of being at the school, and I want those three years to be good for her.”
Nya revealed to news publications that she had been struggling with anxiety and depression for a long time, and had also attempted suicide in May. As she “finally overcome that,” the racist video posted by the Prior Lake High School student took a tremendous toll on her.
Prior Lake High School issues statement following racist video being uploaded online
Principal Dr. John Bezek sent a letter to his staff and families of student’s stating that everything which was said in the video “goes against everything for which our school stands.”
He added:
“Racist messages like the ones in the video create an environment that is hostile to learning. I want to assure students and staff that we are committed to their safety and emotional well-being.”
Principal Bezek also added that the administration has launched an investigation into the students involved in the video. He also claimed that “appropriate action” would be taken against them.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community also issued a statement regarding the video stating that the tribe “fully condemns” everything said in the video. They added:
“Our ancestors suffered from racist and genocidal government policies and acts for over two hundred years. We are still subjected to anti-Indian racism today. We are talking with our youth about our history and the genuine harm racist beliefs and comments cause.”
A GoFundMe page has also been created in support of Nya raising money for college. The campaign has raised over $113,860 at the time of writing this article.
