Students target Sacramento vice principal with racist slurs in response to dress code
Tired. Drained. Fed up.
Elysse Versher, a vice principal at Sacramento’s West Campus High School, is speaking out after being targeted by acts of racism and hatred in what she calls a “culture that has gone unchecked.” Versher was the victim of an alleged hate crime that has led to an investigation at West Campus.
Versher, who has been at the school for three years, said she was targeted because she is a Black woman in a position of authority. She told The Sacramento Bee that she was initially made aware of students posting racially insensitive comments about her on social media last Friday, including the usage of the N-word “with the hard R.” It continued throughout the weekend.
When she arrived on campus Monday morning and parked in her designated spot that read “Vice Principal” on the gravel pavement, the message was clear: She saw a racist slur written five times on a nearby building, directly across from where her parking spot sits. She no longer feels safe parking in that spot in an area that does not have camera footage.
“My students do not see me as an administrator,” Versher said. “They do not respect me as a human being. They see a (N-word) who had the audacity to enforce the laws and expectations set for by this district.”
Walking up to the main entrance of West Campus, the school’s electronic bulletin board in bright red lighting reinforces that students must wear masks on campus and follow the dress code. Versher is tasked with enforcing those rules set by school and district policy.
Students took to social media to express their opinion on the vice principal and the school dress code.
An Instagram account called “dress codes” made a post about the vice principal saying, “Justice for Maddy. The School dress code and vp are wack.” Using hashtags “#westandwithwest” and “#JusticeforMaddy.” The caption of the post read, “Dr. V is the Black Hitler.”
Another account, “basketballshrimp,” posted a comment that read, “what else do you expect from a (N-word) b----?”
The post is no longer viewable.
“This had nothing to do with the dress code but an opportunity for students to see that a Black woman has the audacity to make non-Black students uncomfortable and inconvenienced by enforcing the dress code,” said Versher. “(It) has been around forever and has been enforced by my white colleagues without incident for quite a long time.”
Versher says her family members have also been recipients of hate and threats via email.
She says this latest act of racism and hatred is not the first incident at the campus. The vice principal said parents of non-Black students have disrespected and even threatened her.
Support from Black students
Campus security has increased its presence on campus, but Versher still feels anxiety when coming to work.
Her Black students surrounded Versher with support. They told her they would understand if she no longer wanted to work at the campus.
This became a teaching moment for Versher. She is setting an example for her students, the next generation of Black professionals, and teaching them about overcoming obstacles – especially those created by racial divisions and racism in this country.
“You don’t leave because of racism. You don’t leave because things are tough. You don’t leave because people fail to see your humanity. I demand excellence. I demand that no one can tell me who I am. I am not a (N-word),” said Versher. “I’m a Black woman from South Central Los Angeles that has the audacity to have hope.”
“I will not allow the handful of students at this school (to) run me out of here, run me out of my job, or run me out of my students’ future because of the N word. You have to come harder than that.”
Principal John McMeekin sent a letter on Tuesday to parents and families of West Campus students alerting them of the incidents.
“We have much work to do as a community in order to heal from this,” McMeekin wrote in the letter. “Regardless of how any individual feels about our school’s policies, there is simply no place for hate speech or threatening behavior. We must learn to exercise our rights to express our opinions in a civil and respectful manner.”
The Sacramento Police Department is investigating the incident.
“Detectives have been assigned to follow-up on this investigation,” said police spokeswoman Sabrina Briggs. “An incident like this is concerning and the department is following up on the circumstances of this report as a hate-related crime.”
Community activist and youth advocate Berry Accius said schools within the Sacramento Unified School District have a history of the N-word being used by teachers and students. Further incidents occur when there’s a lack of accountability for the use of the racial slur.
Problems are not being solved due to what Accius said is a lack of urgency, lack of consequences and lack of training to prevent the behaviors.
“You constantly have these copycat situations because there’s no clear consequences for hate crimes against Black people,” said Accius. “This is a hate crime.”
The school district released a statement on Wednesday stating it “will take appropriate action with anyone determined to be involved as a result of the ongoing investigation.”
“The Sac City Unified School Board strongly condemns racism in any form,” said SCUSD Board President Christina Pritchett in the news release. “Rest assured that the District will fully investigate this matter.”
At a news conference Friday, members of the Greater Sacramento NAACP echoed those concerns, calling on the district to take the matter more seriously.
“At the end of the day, something’s wrong with the top,” chapter president Betty Williams told The Bee on Friday morning. “What has that principal done to support her? Nothing. What has the school district done to support her? Nothing.
“For NAACP, we’re going after not just the principal, but the school board. They should have done something prior to reaching this point. We’ve had this issue before with Kit Carson and it keeps happening.
“Now that the community is rallying together to support her,” she added. “Now you get letters from the principal, you get letters from school superintendent, and so what NAACP is looking for at this point is more than a letter, awards and promises on paper, we’re looking for action. If they can’t do it, then we’re looking for someone else to take their place to do it.”
Accius plans to conduct a protest and press conference regarding the incident. It is scheduled to take place on Tuesday at the school campus, located at 5022 58th St. The conference will begin at 2:45 p.m.
West Campus High School is a college preparatory school in SCUSD. To be admitted, students must apply through a specialty program, which assesses test scores and grade point averages. Behavior is not a data point that is assessed because it is not tracked.
“I trust that the district will continue investigating the role of staff as it relates to the hate speech and threats that were put against my family,” Versher said. “I trust that the district will have recourse for anyone that’s found responsible and anyone who contributed to the harm that it caused me and still causes me and the harm that it caused my students.”
Versher was admitted to the hospital after having suffered from multiple seizures on Wednesday following an afternoon meeting with the Black Student Union organization on campus.
Doctors told Versher that the seizure was caused by stress and a lack of sleep. She has been advised to rest and has since been placed on medical leave.
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
