Black Student President Forced To Resign After Mocking White Peers The suspension of a former student body present at one of the nations most expensive prep school has sparked debate. Maya Peterson, a 17 year old student, was forced to resign from her position in student government after mocking her white peers. The scandal is ironic, given that Peterson stated that she wanted to create a truly unified and diverse community during her election. That desire did not stop her from posting an insulting image of herself online, impersonating male students at her school. According to reports, the image was designed to criticize the students for being white and Republican. The photo was accompanied by insulting hashtags, including #confederate, #romney2016, and #peakedinhighschool. Both students and faculty took offense to the image, and within weeks Peterson was asked to resign from her position. Youre the student body president, and youre mocking and blatantly insulting a large group of the schools male population, a commenter wrote on the photo after it was posted. Petersons comment back to the student did little to alleviate the tension. Yes, I am making a mockery of the right-wing, confederate-flag hanging, openly misogynistic Lawrentians. If thats a large portion of the schools male population, then I think the issue is not with my bringing attention to it in a lighthearted way, but rather why no one has brough attention to it before Still, Peterson claims that the photo was a joke that was intended to be a response to backlash over her senior photo, which showed her and 10 of her classmates in a Black Power salute. Peterson, the schools first black, female student body president, responded with a message that likely only heightened tensions. After Obamas election spurred comments from concerned citizens, Peterson took to social media to say, As a black and Latino, gay woman in the United States of America, today is a momentous day. Im sorry to all the rich white men who have failed to elect a president that endorses their greed. I understand why I hurt peoples feelings, but I didnt become president to make sure rich white guys had more representation on campus, Peterson told reporters, Lets be honest. Theyre not the ones that feel uncomfortable here. What do you think? Was forcing Petersons resignation justified? Were her comments inappropriate? 