Texas High School Students Caught Making Monkey Noises Towards Black Volleyball Players

There has been an uptick of young Black athletes being subjected to racist chants during games. About two weeks ago, there was the incident with Black Duke volleyball players being heckled non-stop by BYU spectators.

Now, it’s happening at a high school volleyball game in Texas. The Houston Chronicle notes during a Friday, Sept. 2, game between Jordan High School and Paetow High School — part of the student section can be heard making what sounds like monkey noises. Lakeesha Adams, whose daughter is on the varsity team at Paetow, filed a complaint with Katy ISD leaders after the game. This is because no school administration addressed the taunts as the match continued.

Adams also said she still hasn’t heard back from them, and outside of their coach, no one has checked in on the players, as ABC 13 notes. In the video Adams tweeted, you can clearly hear loud taunts as the teams switched sides.

“Hi friends and family, sadly, my post is not one of celebration. This past Friday, my daughter’s Varsity Team [at] Paetow High School (Katy, TX) played against Jordan High School (Katy, TX), and [they] were heckled and harassed with the student section making monkey sounds [toward] our Black and brown daughters,” LaKeesha Adams tweeted.

Paetow high school’s team comprised all Black and Hispanic players, while Jordan High’s team was primarily white. Adams believes race played a role in her daughter’s team being heckled, harassed, and taunted. “It was chaotic. It just did not feel like a welcoming rival environment,” Adams said.

Katy Independent School District sent a letter to all parents letting them know an investigation would be taken place.

“An investigation has identified some students engaged in behaviors that are not aligned with the District’s and the UIL’s expectations for sportsmanship conduct during an athletic event,” the letter said, adding that any student whose behavior is “deemed in violation . . . will face disciplinary consequences.”

Adams wants the students to be held accountable and is proud of the Paetow women’s volleyball team for playing through a terrible situation.