| layout | title | previous | next |
|---|---|---|---|
page |
Ernesto Villareal |
/why-protest-barack-obama.html |
/why-protest-linda-lowery.html |
Star high school football player Ernesto Villareal in Marsing, Idaho, led his fellow Latinx players in a boycott of football practice in order to stop racist taunts at the school football games. Friday night football games were very popular in Marsing. When the team played well, everyone cheered. However, when Latinx players made a mistake, people shouted insults like, “Stupid Mexican.” Ernesto risked his chance for a football scholarship by leading his Latinx teammates in a boycott of the games until the insults stopped. When the school principal refused to support them, Ernesto went over his head to the school board and superintendent. Inspired by Ernesto’s cause, the student body president wrote a letter on behalf of all students asking adults to stop the insults, and noted that if they didn’t, students wanted the adults to be thrown out of the game. When the letter was read at the homecoming game, it received a standing ovation. The racist taunts stopped. Read more about Ernesto here.