Thanks Arluza for the link to the more in-depth article. The Fox news version was scant on details. According to the Star Tribune article, Wednesday Wigger day was put on by the kids while the people in charge pretty much looked the other way and just pretended that they didn't really know about, most likely out of indifference. From what I remember of school, or really any job I've had since to be frank, that's simply management in a nutshell. The more aware they are of something, the more work they're going to be expected to do about it, so feigning ignorance is always priority number one.
As for the girl, out of 879 kids, only 26 (three percent) are black. Split up between all 5 grades of her high school and all the different types of classes, she was vastly in the minority and one of probably very few African-Americans (potentially the only one in some classes). I definitely can see where she's coming from and do not deny it caused her some severe depression issues (then again, usually just the fact of being in high school is enough for most people to be depressed). If absolutely nothing else the name Wednesday Wigger day already implies that everybody at the school IS white to begin with, including her. It definitely could seem (particularly coming from a teenager's point-of-view) like the entire student body has been given permission from every person in authority to mock you and there is no one to go to to resolve your issues with it. However, 75,000 dollars doesn't make any sense unless they can find some justified, legitimate claim to be reimbursed for something (therapy, medication, psychiatry) you don't just get free money because you got offended that the school gave the kids free reigns to act like racist ess-heads during spirit week (I know this is also racist of me; but with only a three-percent black population, I'm really curious as to how much about the urban life these white kids are mocking that they actually know about to begin with; I'm guessing next to none).
In fact, in a different light, you could say, at least she is learning at school. Learning that not only are you surrounded by insensitive buffoons, but that the people in charge of said buffoons legitimately could care less about even acknowledging a problem let alone resolving one is a handy bit of info to steel your resolve for the working world. She has also learned the mightiest of American rights: when you can't get what you want, lawyer up. She'll get something out of this, even if it isn't $75,000 (honestly, I live in Florida, if a school district had to pay some kid 75,000 dollars, that's at least two more teachers they'd have to fire--Yay for Rick Scott!). She'll get noticed (whether it be cheers from civil rights supporters or jeers from people who look down on those who abuse the legal system for a quick buck), she'll have a small measure of fame which will mean some money from somewhere (some media outlet might want to pay her for her story, some scholarship providers somewhere are probably already looking to offer her money for college, if only to get in on the attention). Most of all she'll get respect, at least from her self if no one else, and that should pretty much be the point if she was suffering from depression.
