Grace Thompson
In January 2019, videos emerged showing students from Covington Catholic High School, a Catholic boys' school in Kentucky, mocking Native Americans outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The incident occurred during the Indigenous Peoples March, which coincided with the March for Life, an anti-abortion rally. The videos sparked widespread outrage and prompted the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School to issue a joint apology, with the school stating that it would take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 January 2019 |
| Location | Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. |
| People Involved | Nathan Phillips, Nick Sandmann, Covington Catholic High School students |
| Details | Videos emerged showing students from Covington Catholic High School mocking Native American Nathan Phillips by chanting, laughing, and jeering while he sang and played a drum. |
| Response | The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School issued a joint statement apologizing for the incident and condemning the students' behavior. The students could potentially face expulsion. |
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What You'll Learn
- Students from Covington Catholic High School mocked Native Americans outside the Lincoln Memorial in 2019
- The students were identified by their Covington clothing and 'Make America Great Again' hats and sweatshirts
- The students' behaviour was criticised by many, including actress and activist Alyssa Milano and actor Chris Evans
- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School apologised and said they would take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion
- The students' behaviour was blamed on the influence of President Donald Trump, who has used Native American names as racial slurs
Students from Covington Catholic High School mocked Native Americans outside the Lincoln Memorial in 2019
On January 18, 2019, students from Covington Catholic High School mocked Native Americans outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The incident occurred during the Indigenous Peoples March, which aimed to raise awareness of indigenous people's issues, and the March for Life, an anti-abortion protest. As a group of students from the all-male Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky, were gathering at their meeting place on the Plaza of the Lincoln Memorial, they were taunted by a group of five Black Hebrew Israelites. In response to these taunts, the students began to chant and clap along to the drumbeat of Nathan Phillips, a 64-year-old Omaha elder and Native American man. The situation quickly escalated, with the students mocking Phillips by shouting a faux Native American chant and chanting "build the wall". One student, in particular, donned a Make America Great Again hat and stood extremely close to Phillips, staring and grinning at him.
The incident sparked widespread outrage, with many condemning the students' behavior as disrespectful and intolerant. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School issued a joint apology, stating that they are investigating the incident and will take appropriate action, including potential expulsion. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati also criticized the students' actions, and many public figures, including actress and activist Alyssa Milano and actor Chris Evans, expressed their dismay.
While some blamed the students' behavior on outside influences, such as President Donald Trump's use of Native American slurs, others called for better leadership and accountability from adults teaching and influencing these students. The incident highlighted the ongoing tensions and complexities surrounding racial relations in the United States.
It is important to note that one of the Covington Catholic students, Nick Sandmann, claimed that he did not disrespect Phillips and that he tried to live out the ideals of his Catholic faith, including respect and conflict avoidance. Sandmann's family even filed a defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post, accusing them of publishing false articles about the incident.
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The students were identified by their Covington clothing and 'Make America Great Again' hats and sweatshirts
In January 2019, a group of students from Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky, were involved in an incident where they were accused of mocking Native Americans outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The students were identified by their Covington clothing and "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hats and sweatshirts, which became a focal point of the controversy.
In videos that circulated online, a teenager wearing a MAGA hat was seen standing in front of Nathan Phillips, a 64-year-old Native American man singing and playing a drum. Other students, identified by their Covington attire and MAGA gear, formed a crowd around them, chanting, laughing, and jeering. The students' behaviour was widely condemned as disrespectful and intolerant, with some interpreting their MAGA apparel as "aggressive and disruptive" to the Indigenous Peoples March that had just concluded.
The students' clothing and hats became symbolic of the political and cultural tensions underlying the incident. The MAGA hats, in particular, have been associated with former President Donald Trump's politics and have often been interpreted as a symbol of white privilege and cultural resentment. This incident sparked intense debates about racial dynamics, privilege, and the role of Catholic schools in promoting respect and tolerance.
While some criticised the students' behaviour, others argued that the initial media reports and video clips were misleading and did not provide the full context. Longer videos that emerged later showed a more complex situation involving multiple groups, including the Black Hebrew Israelites, who were taunting the students with insults and homophobic slurs.
The incident led to a backlash against the school, with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School issuing a joint apology and announcing an investigation. The students involved could potentially face disciplinary action, including expulsion. The incident also sparked broader conversations about racial relations, cultural sensitivity, and the role of media in shaping public perceptions of such events.
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The students' behaviour was criticised by many, including actress and activist Alyssa Milano and actor Chris Evans
The behaviour of a group of students from Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky, was criticised by many after a video emerged of them mocking Native Americans. The students were recorded mocking Omaha elder Nathan Phillips by shouting a faux Native American chant used by sports teams. One student, wearing a Make America Great Again hat, stood in front of Phillips and grinned, while the crowd heckled and chanted.
Among those who criticised the students' behaviour were actress and activist Alyssa Milano and actor Chris Evans. Milano, who is herself Catholic, tweeted that the red Make America Great Again hat is "the new white hood", and that the incident occurred because "a group of boys went on a school-sanctioned trip to protest against a woman's right to her own body and reproductive healthcare". She also said that "bigotry was at play from the start". Milano's tweets were criticised by some as "trash tweets".
Actor Chris Evans, who was raised Catholic but no longer practises the religion, did not comment directly on the incident involving the Covington Catholic students. However, he has expressed a preference for science over religion, saying, "I believe in science. I believe in evolution. I don't necessarily believe in God, at least not the man with the beard and robes and things like that". Evans has also previously expressed interest in Buddhism, discussing his experience at a Buddhist retreat in LA.
The students' behaviour was also criticised by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, which tweeted that the "incident at the March for Life was unfortunate and regrettable". Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), the first Native American woman elected to Congress, also decried the students' actions, saying they displayed "blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance".
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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School apologised and said they would take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School issued a joint statement apologizing for the incident involving their students mocking Native Americans. They also stated that they would investigate and take appropriate disciplinary action, which could include expulsion. This incident occurred outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., following a rally, where students from the all-male Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky, were seen mocking Nathan Phillips, a 64-year-old Native American man singing and playing a drum.
In the videos that circulated online, a teenager wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat stood extremely close to Phillips, staring and grinning at him. Other students joined in, chanting, laughing, and jeering. Some wore Covington clothing, and many donned "Make America Great Again" hats and sweatshirts. This behaviour was strongly condemned as it went against the Church's teachings on respect and human dignity.
The statement from the Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School expressed deep apologies to Mr. Phillips, acknowledging that their students' behaviour was unacceptable and offensive. They assured the public that they would thoroughly investigate the incident and take necessary disciplinary measures to address it. This incident sparked outrage and disappointment from various individuals, including actress and activist Alyssa Milano, actor Chris Evans, Rep. Deb Haaland, and Secretary of State of Kentucky, Alison Lundergan Grimes.
While the school and diocese apologized and considered expulsion, some Covington Catholic students and their supporters defended their actions. Covington Catholic junior Nick Sandmann cited his Catholic faith, emphasizing respect and conflict avoidance. He described himself as "startled and confused" by the situation and worried about the escalating tension between adult protestors and teenage students. Sandmann's family even filed a defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post for their coverage of the incident.
The incident involving Covington Catholic High School students mocking Native Americans sparked widespread condemnation and prompted the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and the school to take accountability. Their joint statement acknowledged the gravity of the situation, leading to an investigation and potential disciplinary consequences, including expulsion, for the students involved.
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The students' behaviour was blamed on the influence of President Donald Trump, who has used Native American names as racial slurs
In January 2019, a video went viral showing students from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky mocking Nathan Phillips, a 64-year-old Native American man, outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The students, some wearing "'Make America Great Again' hats and sweatshirts", stood in front of Phillips, chanted, laughed, shouted, and clapped along to his drumbeat. Phillips, an Omaha elder, was taking part in the Indigenous Peoples March and had been trying to reach the Lincoln statue to pray.
The students' behaviour was blamed, in part, on the influence of President Donald Trump, who has been accused of using racist language and making divisive statements about various racial and ethnic groups, including Native Americans. Trump has frequently referred to Senator Elizabeth Warren as "Pocahontas", which many Native Americans consider a racial slur. He has also been criticized for his extreme rhetoric against Mexicans, immigrants, and Muslims, and for blaming "both sides" for violence at a white supremacist rally.
Trump's use of the name "Pocahontas" as a slur has been widely condemned by Native American groups and leaders. The general secretary of the Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes, John Norwood, called Trump's language "insulting to all American Indians" and "racist". The president of the National Congress of American Indians also criticized Trump, saying that his use of the name as a slur was overshadowing the purpose of a White House ceremony honouring Native American code talkers.
Trump's rhetoric and language have been blamed for inflaming racial, ethnic, and religious tensions across the United States. The Southern Poverty Law Center recorded 867 "hate incidents" in the 10 days after the 2016 presidential election, with the centre's president, J. Richard Cohen, blaming the surge on Trump's divisive campaign language. A survey of teachers conducted by the centre after the election showed that most believed the results were having a profoundly negative and long-lasting impact on students, with an increase in "verbal harassment, the use of slurs and derogatory language".
Trump's supporters, however, argue that they are unfairly targeted by left-wing groups and the media.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Catholic students from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky mocked Native Americans.
Videos show the students mocking Nathan Phillips, a 64-year-old Native American man, who was singing and playing a drum outside the Lincoln Memorial. The students surrounded Phillips, laughing, jeering, and chanting.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School issued a joint statement apologizing for the students' behavior and said they would take "appropriate action, up to and including expulsion." The incident sparked outrage online, with many people condemning the students' actions.
It is unclear what specific consequences the students faced, but the school and diocese stated that they would take "appropriate action." One student, Nick Sandmann, faced public backlash and retained lawyers who filed a defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post.
