Iowa Trump Supporters Shout Racial Slurs at High School Basketball Game, LULAC Responds
Rural Perry, Iowa was the site of an impromptu Donald Trump rally Monday night when fans attending a high school basketball game began heckling minority players.
According to Des Moines NBC affiliate WHO, Perry High School students -- a majority of which are Latino, African-American and Native American -- were inundated with chants of "USA, USA" and "Trump, Trump, Trump" by the opposing school's fans. Up to 15 attendees supporting Dallas Center-Grimes High intimidated the players by reciting Trump's plan to deport undocumented immigrants.
"We are really more of an urban school in a rural setting. Here at the high school, we are 48 percent minority," Perry High Principal Dan Marburger told the television station, noting that a local school had similar issues with Instagram two weeks ago.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued a statement Friday condemning the derogatory remarks and offered support to Iowa school districts fighting civil rights injustices.
"Racism is something that is taught, it's a learned behavior," said Joe Enriquez Henry, LULAC vice president of the Midwest region. "If we can reach our youth at a young age and educate them about what constitutes racism and hate speech, maybe we can end these harmful actions with our next generation."
LULAC of Iowa played a pertinent role in reaching out to Hispanic voters ahead of the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses. Volunteers contacted nearly 50,000 Latinos through mailers, phone calls, and in-person meetings making sure not to sway caucus-goers one way or the other. Over 10,000 Latinos reportedly participated.
Leaders with the pro-immigration organization plan on meeting with Iowa district officials soon to discuss how LULAC can offer assistance.
As for Perry High, they endured the taunts and won, 57-50, eliminating Dallas Center-Grimes from playoff contention.
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