Misinterpreted

The criticism of hats on campus

When did being a fan of our favorite sports teams classify us as gangbangers? Some students have been labeled wrongly for wearing things that are well within the Oxnard High School dress code.

 

OHS Principal Mr. Urias has been very lenient on lifting the ban from wearing hats, but has urged students to not wear “gang affiliated” hats, and more specifically, doesn’t let students wear merchandise from the sport teams, such as the Chicago White Sox and Dallas Cowboys, simply because of the fact that their team colors are affiliated with South Oxnard and La Colonia gangs. Although this is true, it’s also a misinterpretation – at OHS. These hats represent teams students love, not gangs or cliques.

 

Being a fan of the Chicago White Sox, myself, I began to wear the team’s hat and jersey to school. Both times I have been scolded about wearing them by Mr. Urias, and I had my hat taken away for the day. My problem solely relies on the fact that I wear the merchandise not to represent South Oxnard, but to support the team and only the team. Just like how Mr. Urias supports the Los Angeles Dodgers, students should be able to wear merchandise from any sports team they enjoy watching and supporting without being looked at a gang member or gang-affiliated. There are students who wear merchandise from other sports teams and they do not receive any backlash, even though those teams are gang-related.

 

Is it so hard for students to wear something they are proud of and not be looked down upon. At the end of the day, it’s just a piece of clothing, and even moreso, a way students show their self-expression.Before a student on campus is judged off a piece of clothing, ask them first, about the team he’s sporting? This small conversation opens the door to getting to know a student better on a personal level and moves it away from assumptions and judgments perhaps an Admin previously had. Perhaps the administration at OHS needs to re-evaluate the rule on hats to simply be: let students wear any team hat or not allow hats at all.