In a distressing series of events, a Black teenager and his family were forced to relocate from Wayne, Nebraska, after enduring relentless racial harassment at a predominantly white high school.
Lee and Brittny Graham, who adopted two Black sons, relocated from California to Wayne in April 2023, hoping to find a close-knit community where their family could thrive. However, their experience quickly turned into a nightmare, highlighting the deep-seated racial issues within the town.
The Grahams’ son, who had just started attending a local high school, was subjected to daily racial bullying. The harassment began with a student calling him the N-word, soon followed by others who joined in, using racial slurs and making offensive gestures, such as monkey noises and calling him a baboon. The racial abuse extended to the football field, where opposing team members also taunted him with racial slurs.
Despite his parents’ concern, the Grahams’ son initially asked them not to intervene, hoping to handle the situation independently. However, the bullying escalated to a horrifying level in November 2023 during a P.E. class. While lying on the floor after running sprints, a classmate placed a knee on his neck and mockingly asked if he could breathe, a chilling reference to the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
“Finally, our son came to us and said, ‘I can’t do this anymore. I need you to get involved. I can’t live like this,'” Lee Graham recounted, “It was about to break him.”
The Grahams decided to withdraw their son from the Nebraska school at the start of the second semester in January 2024, opting for home education for the remainder of the school year. Ultimately, they chose to leave Wayne altogether, seeking a safer and more inclusive environment for their children.
Their decision was not taken lightly. As a pastor and a nurse, Lee and Brittny Graham had hoped to contribute to and integrate into the 6,000-person town. Despite their initial concerns about the area’s lack of diversity, they were reassured by school administrators that their son would be welcomed and supported.
However, when their son reported the racist incidents, the school’s response was inadequate. Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Mark Lenihan stated that the district could not take action due to a lack of witnesses or evidence. In one instance, a teacher overheard racial slurs being directed at the Grahams’ son but merely wrote a letter of apology to the student, failing to report the incident or intervene at the moment.
The Grahams expressed their disappointment in the school’s handling of the situation. While the apology letter was a kind gesture, they felt it was insufficient and failed to address the severity of the harassment.
The family finally left Wayne in May, but not before confronting Lenihan about the district’s future plans to tackle racist and discriminatory behavior. Lenihan assured them that the district would implement more extensive training for faculty and engage students in discussions about racism, harassment, and social-emotional wellness.
“I want to make sure that he continues to be diligent,” Lee Graham said of Lenihan. “I want to make sure that it wasn’t just to appease a family that had left. I want to make sure that the entire staff and leadership of Wayne schools is dedicated for years and years to come to eradicate this.”
According to 2020 Census demographic data, Wayne’s population is approximately 90% white, with only 2% identifying as Black. During the 2022-23 school year, the district enrolled just under 1,000 students, of whom 763 were white, 181 Hispanic, and only 16 Black.
The Grahams have since moved to the South, where they could be closer to family. They enrolled their son in a more diverse school district that they believe shows less tolerance for racism.
While they are hopeful for a fresh start, the family is still grappling with the emotional toll of their experience in Nebraska. They are committed to ensuring that their son can heal and move forward, free from the racial hostility that marred their time in Nebraska.
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