Two freshman at Edward Bok Technical High School in Philadelphia were hospitalized after a beating by 10 other boys, Friday. The victims were new 14 year-old and 15 year-old immigrants from China.
Bok High School is 72 percent black and the perpetrators were black kids bringing to mind incidents that happened last December at South Philadelphia High School. One of the perps has been arrested and is facing assault charges.
Philadelphia School District officials described the incident as part of traditional freshman hazing and said racism was notinvolved.
The Asian community is skeptical.
Helen Gym, a board member of Asian Americans United, noted that no other freshman seemed to have been hospitalized due to the hazing.
And all this leaves aside the question as to why the Philadelphia School District would be tolerant of violent freshman hazing.
Kudos to the Philadelphia Inquirer for not ignoring the race aspect this time.
Black kids can be just as racially bigoted as white kids, or Asian kids for that matter, and their perspective will never change if they are never called on it.