On October 15, 2021, students from Seaman High School decorated the student section in Halloween costumes to celebrate to upcoming holiday. It was a normal night of showing spirit and cheering on their beloved Vikings.

However, on the other side of the field, students from Topeka High School wore black, not for a regular black out theme, but one specifically in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Topeka High School, which has a more diverse student body than that of Seaman High School, showcased a direct protest against the idea of keeping the district named after Fred Seaman. 

Jada Fulton, a senior at Topeka High, was in the crowd and explained the reason for the meaning behind the theme. 

“This is more for the name change, because it hasn’t been changed yet. The majority of our student body think the name [Seaman] should change, along with the Manhattan Indians.”

Trojans filled the crowd section with a sea of black, including signs that said, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and ‘Black out or back out.’ 

While on the other side of the field, senior Morgan Sharp states, “When I told the crowd what T-High’s theme was and why, they [the crowd] weren’t really bothered by it but they were irritated. It was just because they were playing us, [T-High] wouldn’t have done it against any other school. I feel like they think we’re all racist, but there are very few people like that here.”

With current conversations about race and diversity, along with the overhanging name change debate, the topic of how to create an open-minded and inclusive community still continues.

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Renae Sturgeon

Students from Seaman pose for a picture. Seaman's game theme was pink out for Breast Cancer Awareness.