San Francisco students suspended over racist ‘wigga party’

Principal Patrick Ruff (left), Lizzie Ford, student body president, and Nahrie Pierce, president of the black student union, speak to a reporter outside St. Ignatius College Preparatory High School in San Francisco, California, on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. less Principal Patrick Ruff (left), Lizzie Ford, student body president, and Nahrie Pierce, president of the black student union, speak to a reporter outside St. Ignatius College Preparatory High School in San ... more Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close San Francisco students suspended over racist ‘wigga party’ 1 / 25 Back to Gallery

More than a dozen high school students were suspended from St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco after they took part in a racist-themed party at Stern Grove in the Outer Sunset, school officials said Thursday.

The party, which took place Saturday at the city recreation area and was promoted through social media, was themed a “wigga party” and was attended by students from at least five high schools including St. Ignatius, said Principal Patrick Ruff.

The slang term “wigga” combines the word “white” and a racial epithet and refers to a white person who attempts to emulate African American culture by drawing on stereotypes of clothing and mannerisms.

“It’s disheartening and incredibly sad this type of thing exists not just for SI, but for the entire city,” Ruff said, noting that the 14 students involved had been suspended as soon as administrators learned of the party. “This really is a critical juncture for us.”

Ruff said the school has put an emphasis on social justice issues for years, and that he hoped last weekend’s incident could provide lasting lessons at the school.

“We work really hard to educate our young men and women on issues of equity and inclusion,” Ruff said. “We’ve been doing this work for years, but now we have a concrete example that will give us an opportunity to have a conversation.”

The school takes the issues seriously enough, Ruff said, that in 2010 it appointed Matthew Balano as director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. It focuses on diversity at the school, where African Americans account for just under 5 percent of the student body, compared with 55 percent for white students.

Balano said he’s been in contact with students this week, and that they are justifiably upset.

“There’s a feeling of sadness and disappointment, but there’s trust that we are working hard to get this right,” Balano said. “This is a very messy thing, but we’re doing our best to get through this.”

Nahrie Pierce, a 17-year-old senior at the school and president of the Black Student Union, said she became aware of the party on Saturday night while it was going on, when some of the students posted pictures to social media. She got in contact with some of her African American classmates, who collectively decided they needed to take action and ultimately went to Balano.

Even with the relatively small black population at the school, Pierce said she and others in the Black Student Union work hard to make the school a welcome place for people of all ethnicities.

“Sometimes it can be difficult, but we have clubs and groups like the Black Student Union and we try hard to create space for our African American students. It’s not surprising to me,” she said of the party. “But we’re trying to change that.”

Reaction at the school has been mixed, students said, with some feeling the suspensions were an overreaction to a teenage mistake, while others called for the students to be expelled.

Thomas O’Halloran, an 18-year-old senior, said he knew some of the kids who went to the party and that they had told him how much they regretted it. Still, O’Halloran thought the punishments were justified.

“You can’t go to a party like that and post pictures on social media and think that nothing is going to happen,” he said. “It’s just weird that this would happen at an institution that tries so hard to promote inclusion.”

Moving forward, Ruff said he planned to address the issue with both the student body as a whole and in smaller groups to foster a “teachable moment,” a sentiment echoed by Student Body President Lizzie Ford.

“Kids are angry and and things are intense,” Ford said shortly after she and Pierce addressed the student body Thursday over the public address system. “This is heartbreaking, but you have to acknowledge when you mess up and we messed up. A lot of students are in pain, but this is an opportunity for us to say that this is not the school we are.”

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale