Hispanic High School Students Hold Brown Pride March On School Property, Later, White Power Is Painted On Side Of Building

BOISE – Students at Caldwell High School held a “Brown Pride” protest on Tuesday, about a month after a teenager was told to remove her hoodie because it had those words on it.

Two days later, Twitter users shared photos of Caldwell High’s campus where someone had spray-painted “White Power” on the side of a building.

The incidents have caused an uproar in a district that’s already in the news because of a policy proposal on gender identity and sexual orientation, which has resulted in unruly school board meetings and the postponement of an upcoming public hearing.

The Caldwell School District declined to answer emailed questions from the Idaho Statesman on Thursday about the “brown pride” issue but issued a statement later in the day on the graffiti. That incident is being investigated as a hate crime, according to officials.

“We will not tolerate hate in our city and will ensure that whoever is responsible for this will be held accountable for their actions,” said Rex Ingram, Caldwell’s police chief.

The Brown Pride protest arose after action was taken against Brenda Hernandez, a student at Caldwell High School, in December. Hernandez told the Statesman that the week before winter break, her principal and several teachers asked her to remove her “Brown Pride” hoodie or turn it inside out because others could find it “racist.” School staff compared it to wearing a “white pride” shirt, she said.

The Caldwell School District’s dress code states: Students are not to wear or carry items of apparel, clothing, accessories, cosmetics, tattoos – temporary and/or permanent, body markings, jewelry – including body piercings, which depict or allude to: drugs – including alcohol and tobacco; controlled substances; drug paraphernalia; gangs; violence; sexually explicit, lewd, indecent content; promoting or encouraging bullying.

Fred Betancourt, a Future Hispanic Leaders of America adviser at Caldwell High, told the Statesman in an email that Hernandez felt as if she was “accused of being a gangster.” for wearing the shirt.

In an interview with KTVB, Caldwell High School Principal Anita Wilson said the dress code is purposefully strict.

“Caldwell has had a gang problem before, and ‘Brown Pride’ is associated with gangs,” she said.