Dean Holmes, a Black 18-year-old who graduated from York Catholic High School outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 28, says he was stopped by school officials shortly before receiving his diploma and told to remove his face mask. What did the mask say? “Black Lives Matter.” Holmes was allowed to join his peers and participate in the graduation procession after removing the mask, but as he told the York Daily Record: “You only get one high school graduation. I wish that mine didn't play out like this."
The school says instead of face masks, it had students wear face shields. To this end, the school said that if students received prior approval, they were allowed to wear a plain face mask, without a message on it, in addition to the shield.
The school has since posted a statement, noting: “Any graduate wearing a cap, gown, or mask with any message would have been asked to remove it.” In speaking to NBC News, however, Holmes’ father, John Holmes, said his son wore the same mask during the ceremony rehearsal, and no one questioned it then. Holmes also alleged to the outlet that the teaching staff at the school is all white and that his son started a club for minority students, alleging he was not allowed to call it a Black student union.
In a Facebook post, Holmes claimed that his son had been pulled out of line and asked to take off the mask, writing: “As a parent I will not stand for my son being humiliated publicly, having his basic human dignity crushed on what should have been one of the happiest days of his young life.” In the school’s statement, they characterize the incident differently, writing: “York Catholic administration directed the face mask to be removed privately, away from the other graduates and guests."
According to the graduate, his feelings aren’t new. “In the past, there have been issues, too — of them trying to make me smaller, make me feel less like an individual,” he told the Daily Record.
In addition, both Holmes and his father expressed concern about his having to remove the mask amid the pandemic, even with the face shield on. The graduating senior said to local outlet WGAL: “They put my health at risk."
You can view a short interview with the graduate below. According to his father, Dean is next headed to New York University to study economics.