A new campaign is kicking off in Worcester to encourage student-athletes to stand up against racism. An event was held at Doherty High School Tuesday afternoon with student-athletes from each of the district’s eight high schools.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell also spoke at the rally along with Congressman James McGovern, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, Worcester Superintendent Brian Allen, YWCA of Central Mass. CEO Deborah Hall, and NAACP Worcester President Fred Taylor.
The district said they decided this campaign was necessary after a series of racist incidents impacting student-athletes.
“Every young person deserves to feel safe, respected, valued, and seen,” Fred Taylor, President of Worcester’s NAACP, said.
“This may have started as a response to a racist comment made about our student athletes, but it is much, much bigger than that,” Congressman James McGovern said. “I’m more than a little sad that in the year 2026 we are having this discussion. We are backsliding, we are going in the wrong direction.”
The district said the racist incidents happened at away games as well as on social media.
“I feel like as the generations are going on, I feel like it’s almost getting more normalized to give hate instead of compliments,” Danielle Vargas, a senior at South High Community School, said.
“The things that they’re saying, they’re not aware that it’s wrong because of how normalized it is,” Olive White, a senior at South High Community School, said.
The students said they most often see hateful comments online, rather than in person.
“I’m particularly on TikTok the most, I think that’s where people have no shame to basically say these cruel things,” White said.
“It’s almost like we’re rivals, so we assume that we should hate and we should dislike each other and that we shouldn’t be together as one,” Vargas said.
Which is why the district is launching this call to action, saying enough is enough.
“Let this campaign be our promise, we will call out, we will educate, and we will hold people accountable,” Worcester Superintendent Brian E. Allen said.
“When you look at another human being, if you don’t cement in your heart that they are indeed a human being, and if you don’t do the work whatever that is to overcome any stereotypes you have yourself, any hate, anything that will get in the way of you seeing someone as the human being that they are,” AG Campbell said.
The district said this is the beginning of a multi-year effort that will include more discussions and programming.
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