Mustang Love through Adversity

Memorial High School has created the #MustangLove campaign to bring together the community. 

Upon returning for the final semester of the year after winter break, Memorial High School students were horrified to find vulgar comments and racist imagery spray-painted across campus grounds. These images included anti-Semitic and racially charged symbols such as swastikas, “white power” phrases, drawings of genitalia and other various crude and offensive symbols. Not only does this despicable vandalism falsely portray the views of the students, but it shows a lack of inclusivity, which defies the core values of Memorial. There were many students that were disturbed by this social stunt.

“I think the person that did it was just trying to be funny but they took it way too far,” senior Sarah Mabee said.  

Many students shrugged off the vandalism as simply a prank but walking down the hallways and seeing the expressions on the faces of those who were targeted and many others illustrated just how hateful the crime truly was. Talking through the occurrence in the classroom, most students admitted that they were utterly horrified walking into school and seeing such blatant disrespect and racism. They detailed their shame in seeing these horrendous things in our school.

Senior Lindsey Ramos said, “I was embarrassed and surprised that someone would write these terrible things in a place that we’re supposed to learn.” 

Senior Vincent Hwang working with Memorial Mustang Outreach Bunch on a project. 

Initially many students did not know the extent of the vandalism. Walking down the main hallway that morning, I rolled my eyes at the tamer of the images and kept walking to my class. As I ventured into the heart of the school, the images and phrases got worse. The cruel attack hit hard. Seeing “white power” written in big letters above the library, a place designated for learning and prosperity, brought down with such an incompetent and racist phrase scrawled across it was so offensive. Seeing the giant swastika on the mustang in the center of the school turned my sadness into anger. This vandalism is definitely not something I agree with and hearing other’s thoughts assured me that it is not something that my peers agree with. 

Principal Lisa Weir expressed her sadness in an email to MHS families by communicating “how deeply saddened (she) was to find such hateful words and symbols that do not represent who we are, and who we want to be as a school, community and society.” The shame surrounding being associating with these symbols and speech was conveyed by every member of the administration. 

In addition, Principal Weir said, “We are committed to being a school where each and every student, staff member and parent feels safe and respected.”

Junior Eva Jacobs working with Memorial Mustang Outreach Bunch on a project. 

Memorial High School has always been eager to support and motivate the students to do the right thing. The Mustang Way is a slogan reinforced all around school that defines the values of the administration and the students. The Mustang Way illustrates the need to: meet the challenge, have unbridled enthusiasm, show respect, use total honesty, assume responsibility, never give up, get involved, and stay drug and alcohol free.

These values are imperative because they guide students into being safe, happy and healthy. Because of the obvious offensive nature of the graffiti, students have rallied around these values to combat racism and discrimination in our school. Memorial students are very involved in philanthropic organizations like MMOB, Memorial Mustang Outreach Bunch, as well as various spirit groups like Mustang Sweethearts that are meant to support each other. The groups promote inclusivity and allow students to work together towards something good. With these organizations, they all are working to benefit both the school and the community as a whole. 

Along with the core values of the Mustang Way slogan, Memorial has put together a newmovement called #MustangLove in response to the vandalism. The purpose is to bring together many different people under one name: Mustangs. The campaign is in its beginning stages and the administration hopes to promote acts of kindness leading up to Valentine's Day by giving students challenges to complete. 

"I think the #MustangLove campaign is a great movement because it shows how we are working to celebrate every student at Memorial," junior Laura Miles said. 

Memorial works together to celebrate all the different ethnicities so that each student will feel that they are accepted no matter what they look like. Memorial is working on spreading the #MustangLove campaign and the administration plans to have the artwork painted on campus. Memorial has proven that this targeted attack will not stand.