Wilton High School students are accused of hurtling a racist chant at an African American New Britain High School player at a recent basketball playoff game.
Stemming from an incident at the CIAC Division II quarterfinal game between Wilton High and NBHS on March 8, 2019, a video went viral, with comments similar to what one person said online that, “a Black senior at NBHS went to take a free throw and a whole crowd of Wilton students started chanting ‘Blackface’ to him and the rest of our team.”
Commenting on the, “perceived racial slur, ‘black face,’ at our New Britain High School basketball players,” New Britain schools Superintendent Nancy Sarra said, “Everyone knows that this language is unacceptable but what was more disturbing was that it was putting voice to a group sentiment.”
“A letter from Wilton’s Superintendent, Kevin Smith, and its high school principal and athletic director apologized to the New Britain community,” Fox61 reported on March 12th.
WVIT reported on March 12th that the Wilton school officials’ said they are, “truly sorry that members of the New Britain community would believe our students capable of racist taunts.”
The Wilton school officials, according to the WVIT report, said that the, “Wilton students were actually chanting the words, ‘leg days,'” saying that the NBHS player, “missed his legs days in the weight room.”
The recent incident is reminiscent of a 2016 incident in which, as reported by Fox61 that, “a few of the Wilton students chanted ‘build the wall’ directed towards players of,” the Danbury High School team, many of whom were Latino, during a football game between the two schools.
Saying, “We are extremely saddened and disheartened to see these actions and behaviors persist in our communities,” Sarra said that she accepted Smith’s apology. But she added that she would, “look forward to apology in action.”
The NBHS boys basketball team defeated Wilton in the game 64 to 63.
NBHS later won their semifinal game against Glastonbury and will face first ranked Waterford for the State Division II Championship on the weekend of March 16th-17th.
