Leffell School and City of Yonkers Investigation Maintains Slurs Were Made
The Roosevelt players on the bench and on the court are not found chanting “Free Palestine” or anyone retorting the ugly quote of “We support Hamas you f-ing Jew.” We conclude that both are untrue and unfair accusations.
Rev. Frank Coleman, President Yonkers NAACP
By Dan Murphy
Pastor Frank Coleman, President of the Yonkers NAACP, released the following statement regarding the groups investigation into allegation of antisemitic slurs being made at a girls basketball game between Roosevelt High School and the Leffell School on Jan. 4. This statement was found on The Yonkers Ledger.
“The Yonkers NAACP was asked to look into the allegations of antisemitism surrounding the Roosevelt HS girls basketball team in Yonkers that occurred on Thursday, January 4, 2024.
“The Yonkers NAACP Branch aligns itself with our national organization in its call to action “it is now more important than ever for the African American community and the Jewish community to band together in the fight for social justice and civil rights…” rather than allow the evils of society to infect us with their hate. Therefore, we seek truth. For it is the only possible way to rid our society of the evils of hatred and bigotry.”
“As many celebrated and commemorated the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr on this past Monday, he is quoted as saying, “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.” As the NAACP of Yonkers, this is our only motive and intention as we investigated these unsettling allegations.
“As a result of reviewing the Roosevelt/Leffell game from beginning to end (one without audio and another with key segments in audio) as well as interviews with parents, students, and the coach, we have concluded that there was absolutely no evidence of any antisemitic slurs rendered. The Roosevelt players on the bench and on the court are not found chanting “Free Palestine” or anyone retorting the ugly quote of “We support Hamas you f-ing Jew.” We conclude that both are untrue and unfair accusations. As to date, there has been no evidence that what the student from Leffell School wrote or alleges in an article actually occurred.
“Also, we found that the game was not played with aggression or animus by the Roosevelt players as accused. They simply played basketball. The one incident where a Leffell player was injured was on an inadvertent elbow when getting a rebound. You can clearly see it was not purposeful or aggressive. However, there was a back kick from a Leffell player on the leg of a Roosevelt player that has never been mentioned.
“It is the opinion of the Yonkers NAACP, that the Roosevelt Girls Basketball team, along with their former coach, Mr. Bryan Williams and the Roosevelt ECS community, are owed an apology for the rush to judgment. To state the long term impact these allegations have had and will have on their lives for a life span can’t be understated. A google search will be all that shall be necessary to place this story back into circulation as fact rather than the fabrication it is.
“Racism is wrong. Antisemitism is wrong. Islamophobia is wrong. Discrimination in all its forms are wrong. But what is also wrong and worse is listlessly defaming another’s character by publicly jumping to conclusions. This has caused students, parents, families, our community and a coach irreparable harm to their lives and future.
“We as the Yonkers Branch NAACP are calling for a full apology from the Governor’s office, the Yonkers Public School District, the Leffell School District and its girls basketball team, the Yonkers Mayor’s office, Westchester governmental officials, state and local representatives, stakeholders/leaders and the many news media outlets that have intentionally character assassinated and maligned these young ladies, their families and the coach.
“We advise that the Yonkers District and community join us in dispelling the evil rhetoric of the accusation of hate, and all who spoke ill against The Roosevelt ECS Community be held accountable. This will not define us as a community, but we all have to stop and stand for truth, justice, equity, and inclusion for everyone,” end of NAACP statement.
Dr. Michael Kay, Head of the Leffell School, issued the following statement after the NAACP report. “We are aware of a recent report casting doubt that antisemitic slurs were uttered duing the January 4 girls varsity basketball game between Roosevelt High School and The Leffell School.
“This report was produced without any conversation with Leffell School players, coaches, or administrators. Its conclusions are contradictory not only to our students’ accounts of their experience, but also to the findings of the Yonkers Public Schools internal investigation into the matter, which determined definitively that antisemitic words and phrases were used at multiple points in the context of this game. This was noted in the January 8 joint statement released by Interim Superintendent Rodriguez and Mayor Spano, which remains prominently posted on the school district web site, and has been reaffirmed in numerous conversations with district and city officials in recent days.
“As I stated in my letter to the Leffell School community on January 5, our goal is to address this issue in accordance with our school values, without seeking to embarrass, disparage, or shame anyone, and without passing judgment on any community on the basis of the words or actions of a small number of individuals. As educators, we strongly share the stated desire to bring communities together for moments of genuine learning. We are working constructively and privately with the district leadership to craft appropriate opportunities to do so,” end of statement.
