Woodrow Wilson High School Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

W.Va. Bill To Bar Hair Discrimination Advances In State Senate

A committee of West Virginia lawmakers agreed Monday evening to recommend a bill to the full Senate that would prohibit discrimination based on hair type.

Senate Bill 850, originating in the Judiciary Committee, would add protections for “hair textures and protective hairstyles historically associated with a particular race” to the West Virginia Human Rights Act. This section of state code already prohibits discrimination regardless of race, gender, age and other characteristics.

Protective hairstyles include braids, locks and twists, according to the bill, which also has been dubbed the “Crown Act.”

Similar legislation in the House of Delegates was referenced to the House Government Organization Committee in January but never considered.

Senators heard from Beckley resident Tarsha Bolt before voting on the bill. She talked to the committee about an incident earlier in the school year, when a basketball coach barred her teenage son from playing because of her son’s dreadlocks.

According to Bolt, her son missed three games because he wouldn’t change his hair.

“If you guys are familiar with dreadlocks, you would know that it’s just a natural way of maintaining the texture of his hair,” Bolt told lawmakers on Monday. “It’s not something you can just cut out or rip out.”

The discrimination occurred despite the fact, she added, that her son was allowed to play on the same school’s football team and participate in the JROTC program earlier that year, with the same dreadlocks.

“It was just not right. Why was he targeted?” Bolt asked. “Why were his dreadlocks targeted? He’s a good kid. He has good grades. He has the skills to make the team. Why should his hair have him benched? And why should he be bullied to strip himself of his identity?”

As the Beckley Register-Herald reported following the meeting, Wood County Sen. Mike Azinger, a Republican, was opposed to the bill. As of Tuesday he was the only members of the Senate Judiciary Committee not appearing on the bill as a co-sponsor.

Calling the proposal a “sticky situation,” Azinger asked the committee to consider replacing it with a study resolution instead.

The motion failed.

Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, said the bill was “appropriately authored” by the committee counsel.

“I think that as it relates back to the race aspect [of the West Virginia Human Rights Act], I think that it is proper,” Weld said.

Sen. Mark Maynard, R-Wayne, agreed with Azinger, saying he wanted to hear from the coach Bolt mentioned and sporting groups like the Southern States Athletic Conference.

Sen. Richard Lindsay, D-Kanawha, said the bill was about more than the Beckley incident.

“This is something that applies across the spectrum to all types of individuals,” Lindsay said.

In the House of Delegates, Del. Danielle Walker, D-Monongalia, was the lead sponsor behind the House version of the bill. She called the Senate’s action a success.

“Discrimination and hate have no home here, there or anywhere,” Walker said in an interview Tuesday morning. “It’s not just about a high school student and a coach. It is about a landlord and a tenant. It is about an employer and an employee. It’s about an employee trying to go up the chain, but who is stuck because of how their natural hair [is], and the texture of their natural hair.”

The Senate was scheduled to consider any potential amendments to the bill on Tuesday, Feb. 25, before voting on whether to pass the bill to the full House of Delegates for consideration on Wednesday.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

Governor Who Called Girls 'Thugs' Says Sorry If He Offended

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Friday offered a conditional apology for calling a high school girls basketball team “thugs,” saying he didn’t know the remarks would cause any trouble.

Justice has drawn criticism for using the term after a scuffle broke out at a heated Tuesday night game between Greenbrier East High School, where he coaches, and Woodrow Wilson High School.

“I hate to say it any other way, but honest to God’s truth is the same thing happened over at Woodrow two different times out of the Woodrow players,” a heated Justice told The Register-Herald in a post-game interview. “They’re a bunch of thugs. The whole team left the bench, the coach is in a fight, they walked off the floor, they called the game!”

The team’s coaches are black, as are some of the players.

His comments spread quickly on social media and at the state Capitol, with one lawmaker, Del. Mike Pushkin, tweeting that the governor was making “thinly veiled racial slurs.”

On Wednesday, the Republican governor defended himself, issuing a statement that said “Anyone that would accuse me of making a racial slur is totally absurd.” The statement did not include an apology, which irked some lawmakers.

“These are high school females playing athletics in our school system. To be the governor and call them thugs is unprofessional and it’s immature,” said Del. Timothy Miley, the Democratic minority leader of the state House of Delegates, adding that he thinks the term has racial connotations. “When you use that kind of phraseology, it has consequences, whether you intended to have them or not.”

Then on Friday, in an interview with local ABC affiliate WCHS-TV, Justice said he was sorry if he hurt any feelings, while noting others who’ve used the word.

“First of all, I would tell them that I’m really sorry if I’ve done anything that has offended them. But secondly, I would just say this, Barack Obama used that term,” he said. “Newspapers in our state have used the term. The New York Times uses that term all the time.”

“If we need to use another term we would say, you know if I could take it back, surely, I would take it back because you know, I never dreamed it would bother anyone,” Justice told the station.

A spokesman for the governor declined to comment further.

Last month, Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Beilein apologized after using the word “thugs” while reviewing film with his players.

Gov. Justice Defends Calling Opposing Girls Basketball Team, Coaches ‘Thugs’

Updated Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 at 4:15 p.m.

Gov. Jim Justice is defending his use of the word “thugs” to describe players and coaches of a high school girls basketball team. The governor — who coaches the girls team at Greenbrier East High School — used the phrase to describe the behavior of an opposing team and their coaches during a Tuesday night game. With lawmakers in session, Justice’s words were also the topic of conversation Wednesday on the House of Delegates floor.

In a post-game interview with the Beckley Register-Herald, Justice called players and coaches from Woodrow Wilson High School “a bunch of thugs.”

Those comments followed a game — which was held at Greenbrier East in Fairlea — that’s been described as “physical” on the court. Additionally, an assistant coach from Woodrow Wilson reportedly got into an altercation with a fan.

Woodrow Wilson has one of the most racially diverse populations in the state. Many players and coaches on that school’s girl team are black.

In a news release issued Wednesday, Justice defended his use of the word “thugs.”

“My definition of a thug is clear – it means violence, bullying, and disorderly conduct. And we, as West Virginians, should have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior,” Justice said. “Anyone that would accuse me of making a racial slur is totally absurd.”

Justice also noted that the Woodrow Wilson assistant coach was cited by the West Virginia State Police for obstructing an officer.

“I am certain that the [West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission] will deal with this in a professional and appropriate matter,” he said.

This incident isn’t the first time Justice has received criticism over his choice of words. In 2018, he used the phrase “Chinaman’s chance” to describe a piece of legislation’s possibility of survival. He’s also compared himself favorably to Kunta Kinte, an African slave in the 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family.

Justice’s comments drew mixed reactions Wednesday on the floor of the House of Delegates. Some lawmakers condemned his actions while others were more reserved in their positions.

Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, took aim at the governor not only for the controversial remarks but also argued that Justice gives coaching priority over his duties as the state’s chief executive.

“It’s clear that Jim justice is an embarrassment on and off the court,” Fluharty said, noting Justice’s use of the phrase “Chinaman’s chance.”

He said West Virginia has been “plagued” by stereotypes depicting citizens as bigoted and racist.

“I take offense, when, the governor of our state refuses to acknowledge, refuses to simply say, ‘I’m sorry’ when he makes statements like he did last night,” Fluharty said. “Because that’s what West Virginians do. We own up to our mistakes. But our governor is unwilling to own up to his.”

Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, agreed that Justice should be more engaged in his duties as governor, but said accusations of racism should be reserved.

“The governor does obviously need to show up here more often and do the business he was elected to do. But I want to caution us here in this body, from possibly making, jumping to conclusions or possibly making logical fallacies,” McGeehan said. “We’re throwing around the term racism too much. Because when we do that, and we jump to those conclusions, and we level the term ‘racism’ at our political opponents — especially, someone who might be an easy target.”

Del. Jeffrey Pack, R-Raleigh, called on Justice to apologize and asked lawmakers to forgive the governor for his choice of words.

“I hope the governor apologizes publicly. I hope the governor apologizes privately to those whom he has he has offended and I hope from the bottom of my heart that they find it in their hearts to forgive as we have been forgiven,” Pack said.

July 24, 1942: Actor Chris Sarandon, Jr. Born in Beckley

Actor Chris Sarandon Jr. was born in Beckley on July 24, 1942. He graduated from Beckley’s Woodrow Wilson High School and from West Virginia University with a degree in theater.

While earning his master’s degree from Catholic University, he met and married Susan Tomalin, who later became famous as actress Susan Sarandon. Since 1994, he’s been married to actress Joanna Hall Gleason.

Chris Sarandon has a lengthy screen and stage resume. His films include Fright Night, The Princess Bride, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, in which he voiced the lead character of Jack Skellington. In 1976, he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and a Best Acting Debut Golden Globe Award for his memorable performance in the film Dog Day Afternoon, with Al Pacino. In 1980, Sarandon starred as Jesus Christ in the television movie The Day Christ Died. He’s also appeared on the TV shows Judging Amy, Felicity, and ER.

More recently, he’s been in a number of Broadway productions, including The Light in the Piazza and in Cyrano de Bergerac, along with West Virginia native Jennifer Garner.