The Ossining High School Girls Varsity Basketball program is the ‘Gold Standard’ of programs in Westchester and in New York State. Under the leadership of Coach Dan Ricci, the Ossining Girls Basketball program has won 5 AA State Championships in the past nine years, including four in a row; 2013,2014,2015,2016, 2019.
So, for anyone to insult any player on the best girls basketball program in our area is an insult to all of us in Westchester, and those of us who love to watch basketball played the right way and at its best, which is what Coach Ricci delivers year in and year out.
During a recent game in Poughkeepsie, a fan from Our Lady of Lourdes basketball team shouted out a racial slur at Ossining Junior Isabella Florez as she was taking a free throw. This was a Section 1 playoff game, and not a joke for anyone playing and for the friends and family at the game.
Her mother, Daisy Florez, was at the game and recording it on her cell phone when she heard the word. The word came from the student section of the Lourdes grandstand.
“When you’re a parent, the first thing you want to do is record your kids in action. And then everybody heard it,” said Mrs. Florez. “It’s bad enough seeing others go through something like this and it really hurts when something like that is directed at you. This is not acceptable. Nobody should have to go through something like this. Isabella has been setting an example. In our culture, you don’t see a lot of Hispanic girls playing sports because they don’t feel comfortable in that space and this will only discourage them.”
Her husband and Isabella’s father William Florez was also at the game, and along with other Ossining parents confronted the Lourdes staff at the game, and said, “They were denying it happened. Instead, they were looking to justify the behavior, saying the kids sometimes yell out the names of different foods to distract shooters. I mean, even if that was true … I think even a fifth-grader knows better.”
After the game Catherine Merryman, the President of Our Lady of Lourdes, issued a statment, “Our Lady of Lourdes High School teaches young women and men from many racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds, a values-infused curriculum, based upon the example of Jesus Christ. Racism is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church and contrary to the values of all Catholic schools, including Our Lady of Lourdes. We have and will continue to hold our entire school community, including our students, to the highest standards of behavior.”
The response from the Catholic school administration was not enough for many in Ossining, including Superintendent Ray Sanchez. “We do not condone or tolerate messages that cause harm. I want to be clear that the Ossining Union Free School District is committed to providing a school environment where all students feel welcomed, accepted, and safe. We hope that Our Lady of Lourdes High School will join us in our mission to provide safe spaces for all students and take the necessary actions now and in the future. There’s a difference between intent and impact, and this clearly had an impact. We think it’s obviously inappropriate and appalling.”
A complaint has also been registered with Section 1. In a similar incident that occured last month in Rockland County, with fans from Pearl River high school, resulted in Pearl River losing all of their remaining home playoff games. “We will not tolerate negative statements or actions, inclusive of racial or discriminatory comments or slurs. The organization firmly believes in the values that athletics can bring to student-athletes and their communities. These values can only exist in an environment absent of discrimination and hate,” said Section 1 Executive Director Todd Santabarbera said in a statement.
The Florez family was not satisfied with what they viewed as a half hearted apology. “I would like to see more awareness coming from this. Educate people on the impact this has on self-esteem. People need to be more culturally aware. I also think protocols should be in place to enforce respect. The least they could’ve done was ask the students to leave the premises.”
Mr. Florez makes a good point. Ossining parents attempted to speak with Lourdes adminstrators immediately after the hate was spoken. At that time, if this incident were taken serious, the game could have been stopped and the student who said it could have been identified or the entire bleachers could have been empited.
Mrs. Florez said that while Isabella has been hurt by all of this, “we’re speaking out so nobody else has to go through something like this. Her little sister plays basketball and was at the game and Isabella was upset she had to see this.”
Some remedies exist to make sure these types of incidents don’t continue to happen, but none are easy. Video cameras could be placed to record the bleacher crowds to make sure future culprits are identified. Or ID’s could be recorded for every spectator, so that the home team knows every person in attendance.
The other option is to force some, or one of the surrounding students in the bleachers, who heard the word and saw who said it, to come forward. It is up to the Principal and Assistant Principal of the school to take this issue seriously enough to get the answers that the Florez family want and deserve.
