High school student criticized for 'Put the Panic Back in Hispanic' pep rally sign
Facebook/Jennifer Lopez Vazquez via Storyful
(STORYFUL) - A high school junior allegedly from Robertsdale High School in Alabama has been called out online after a photo of her holding up a sign reading, “Put the panic back in Hispanic,” was posted to Instagram and Facebook.
The sign was held up by the student, identified as Harley Powell, alongside another student holding up a Trump flag.
Local media shared a statement from the student, in which she said she was targeting the opposing team, the Spanish Fort Toros. She is also reported as saying, “But I also believe in my right of speech. I did not mean it in any kind of racial way, half of my family are Hispanic.”
The photo, which Powell reportedly originally shared on her Instagram account, was shared to Facebook by another student, Jennifer Lopez Vazquez.