Washburn Praised for Race Forum, Called to Action

Wednesday night, Washburn High School students and community members poured fourth a torrent of emotions at a forum set up to address last week's highly charged "hanging doll" incident.

Three students hung a dark-skinned baby doll from its neck in one of the school's stairwells on Jan. 11. In a letter to parents the following week, the principal called the act "disturbing," and said all three involved were disciplined the same day. Rumors have persisted that one of the students was expelled, although the school district has refused to comment. Some members of the school community maintained that the incident was a thoughtless prank by kids who didn't know any better.

Before and during the forum, community members and some students criticized the students involved for "ignorant" behavior.

Overall, students, community members, and teachers said the school needed to work harder to better address race and history.

More Coverage:

• The Star Tribune's report on what was said at Wednesday night's meeting.
• The TC Daily Planet's meditation on how incidents like these can happen.