By Dennis Brent Melby

Sherwood High School and racial hatred?

There is simply not racism around every corner. Although many MoCo political leaders find skin color a great way to divide people and garner votes most people know better.

Coverage of the Senior Class T Shirts at Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring is a great example. The black teachers and advisors and student leaders designed T-shirts for the senior class to wear as a memento. They used the word SENIORS and changed some letters to numbers to add ’26 - making it catchy. The kids loved them!

Yet some administrators and students decided they saw the N-word in the T-shirts and called racism against everyone involved!  Let’s be clear, two or three black leaders did NOT design a shirt modeled after the N-word for all the students to wear to remember their time together. They would not do that. Neither would white, native or Asian students. For the few folks who love division let me be clear, in Montgomery County there is not racism around EVERY corner- even if you’re desperate to find it. We’re better than that. MoCo is a good place.

The story on MoCo racism was picked up by The Washington Post, The Banner, Bethesda Today and other media. Splashed across the headlines-racism again in Public Schools. “Healing Sessions” were called, counselors brought in, apologies demanded and the shirts recalled in a ruckus. No pictures of the shirts mind you – were they obviously not racist or too racist, although designed by people of color to be put into the public square?

Give me a break! Stop telling folks to be fearful of people that don’t look like them. Stop telling folks other people hate them, they do not. And especially take that fear out of the schools – concentrate on academics and socialization. How to compete, get along and make it in a world after education. It’s tough enough out there without having to worry about a racist (who probably doesn’t exist) around every corner. Enough is enough.

Tell me what you think.

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Dennis Brent Melby, a Republican Central Committee Member served as  the Montgomery County Republican Party Chair in 2020 and 2024. He's a previous 4 term Councilmember in Friendship Heights and former local REALTOR President. To reach him, email [email protected].