Courtney Wright, a 12-year old, intelligent and aspiring schoolgirl, was left devastated and infuriated after she was turned away from her own school’s ‘Diversity Day’, as if she were a stranger. On a day celebrating different cultures across the world, she was thrown into the dungeons of isolation like a traitor dispatched to the Tower of London. Why? For wearing a Union Jack costume inspired by an outfit the Spice Girls, a prestigious British band, wore during their concerts. She was told that she could celebrate her own British culture every day, and that Diversity Day was a day for everyone else. Courtney was then ordered to take off the dress, and either wear a second-hand uniform or go home.
She made the choice to demonstrate her admiration for her own culture, and even wrote a speech on Britain: tea, fish and chips, the Royal Family and its unpredictable weather. Her teachers claimed it was all ‘unacceptable’, demanding she be picked up from reception as if she were an unwanted and untrusted intruder. Courtney is a straight-A student with potential. She did not intend to portray any political message: her decision merely reflected the freedom to wear a dress and feel proud of Britain.
Bilton School in Rugby, informed parents that pupils were required to wear something that represented a culture and heritage, stating:
‘The Culture Celebration Day was designed to promote inclusion, understanding, and appreciation of different backgrounds, traditions and heritages.’
Clearly not that of the British background, tradition or heritage. Students wearing the St George’s flag and the Red Dragon of Wales were also turned away. While the event was described as welcoming and inclusive of everyone, it seems this did not apply for those from the United Kingdom. Surely, Britain should be at the centre of all the cultures celebrated within Britain? Apparently not. Instead, it is neglected and damned by its own people.
Britain’s culture and history has been revolutionary, with many British discoveries and achievements helping to shape the modern world. Take slavery as an example. In the 19th Century, Britain was the first country to abolish the Slave Trade, with its naval patrols contributing to enforcing abolition worldwide. After World War II, Britain founded the NHS and became the first country to offer free healthcare to its citizens. Britain also reformed our Human Rights legislation, giving the people more freedom. We are one of the most accepting and diverse countries in the world, and are renowned for the variety of cultures that we welcome in our country. One cannot fathom why many, like Bilton School, feel ashamed to be British.
The Union Jack also represents British identity as a blend of national traditions, historical unity and shared civic values. It symbolises pride and serves as a reminder of Britain’s achievements, whilst representing what it means to be British. How anyone can find it offensive, and believe it is being used as an insult is absurd.
Courtney’s father, Stuart, was also left furious and aghast:
‘It’s the school who have made it political and it went against everything the event was being held for. She chose the dress and wrote the piece off her own back. The day was to celebrate everyone’s cultures and Courtney chose this Union flag dress so she could celebrate hers. She also wrote this speech to go with it and was very proud of what she’d done.’
The school contacted Stuart over the weekend and has apologised for how they treated his daughter, claiming they will reflect on how this can be handled differently, and pledged a commitment to ‘fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued and included.’ Too late; the damage has been done. Courtney will be unlikely to forget this betrayal and embarrassment. The school has treated Courtney and her family like a group of offenders, who have intended to cause harm and distress to the students. One wonders meanwhile, how many Palestinian flags and Pride flags were being flown?
At its heart, this story is not just about a dress. It concerns whether we believe in real inclusion – or whether some identities are quietly being downplayed to bolster multiculturalism. The stated goal of Diversity Day is simple: inclusion means everyone. It is a bitter irony that, for one student, celebrating her own identity led to her exclusion.
If you want to read the speech Courtney prepared, WalesOnline included it at the bottom of this article. I strongly encourage you to read it and share it.
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(Photograph: Gerihalliwell.jpg: https://www.flickr.com/people/emutree/derivative work: Tabercil, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
There is a poison in our education system – the antidote likely to be harsh and painful – but necessary before our history is erased and our culture overwhelmed. Congratulations to Courtney and her father for taking a stand.
Despite what they try to foist on us: Diversity is NOT a strength … Uniformity IS.
“At Bilton School, we are proud of the diversity of our students and the rich heritage they bring to our community,” they added.
“On Friday, July 11, an incident occurred during our Culture Celebration Day that caused considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family and members of the wider community.
“We deeply regret the distress this has caused and offer our sincere and unreserved apologies. We have since spoken directly with the pupil and her family to listen to their concerns and reflect on how this could have been handled better.” Express.
Obviously Bilton School is ashamed of the ‘British Diversity’ which they doubtless think brings nothing of value to the school or the community.
Your ‘unreserved apologies’ are refused.
We, the unwanted British ‘diversity,’ have had enough of ‘diversity is our strength’ BS rammed down our throats.
”We are one of the most accepting and diverse countries in the world, and are renowned for the variety of cultures that we welcome in our country.”
THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE. The vast majority of the peoples of the UK and Ireland have withdrawn our invitation.
It’s heartbreaking and infuriating. Looking back to when I was twelve – admittedly about a hundred years ago – I can’t imagine how upset and traumatised I would have been at this kind of treatment. Yes we had teachers who were bullies, things were not all roses and pink kittens, and I remember to this day the way my physics teacher made me feel when being singled out for some spiteful haranguing. Yes, I STILL remember it with pain over half a century later, so who is to say whether or not this young girl has been damaged. Hopefully she is made of stronger stuff.
But this kind of situation – well it just never happened, did it? Who could imagine it ever would? I feel as though we are living in a different Universe, and not in a good way.
I had already read her essay, which was brilliant. Thank goodness she has family support. As for the school – I hope there is a special place reserved in hell for people who think what they are doing is ‘OK’ or even admirable. If only ‘shame’ was even in their vocabulary – you can tell by the wording of the ‘apology’ that it will only be a doubling down on their policy, and ‘explaining’ to the young girl why things have to be the way they are. They are only ‘sorry’ that anybody has been upset, which is weasel-speak for ‘we are not sorry for what we did, because we are right’, instead of ‘we are sorry because we were wrong’.
What a load of pernicious bilge all this superficial equality and diversity ‘celebration’ is. We can accept the existence of other cultures without having to be forced to wallow insincerely and uncomfortably in them. To make schoolchildren do so under the guise of ‘wider’ education is tantamount to bullying and propagandising. The best ‘celebration day’ is surely that of our own national St George’s Day on 23 April each year, but, nowadays, unlike national days in other countries, that seems to be heavily muted in public.
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