A South Jersey high school superintendent is apologizing after a teen girl accused two students of harassing her and calling her a racial slur during a rowing competition over the weekend.
Myasia Joga, a junior at Absegami High School, was participating in a crew competition at Lake Lenape on Mother’s Day. After the race, Joga joined her teammates and coaches on the bus. That’s when she said two members of Mainland Regional High School’s team sat next to her and called her “Rosa Parks” before using the N-word.
“That was the most unforgettable few moments of my life and crew,” Joga said.
Joga’s mother, Ulyses Joga, told NBC10 she went to speak with an adult from Mainland when one of the teens who yelled the racial slur tried to apologize.
“He said, ‘Well I’m telling you I’m sorry and I hope it does not get back to my coach,’” Joga said.
The two Mainland students were later disciplined and Mainland’s superintendent released a statement, apologizing for their actions.
“We will continue to enforce our commitment to Mainland being a safe and inclusive place for our students, staff and those that we interact with, whether in our school or in the fields, through additional education and continued enforcement of our zero tolerance policies," the superintendent wrote.
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Joga, who is the only black girl on her crew team, said she’s hurt by the incident but it won’t stop her from persevering.
“We row through it every day,” Joga said. “Every year.”
