- A Native American student alleges that school staff tried to rip a sacred eagle plume off her graduation cap.
- In a lawsuit, Lena' Black says the employees damaged her feather during the scuffle.
Oklahoma school officials tried to rip a Native American student's sacred eagle feather off her cap at her high school graduation last year, the teen alleges in a new lawsuit.
In her lawsuit filed last week, Lena' Black — who is a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma and of Osage descent — detailed the alleged altercation at her high school graduation ceremony on May 16, 2022.
Black had attached an eagle plume to her mortarboard — a sacred object that was ceremonially bestowed on her at age 3 which "represents the prayers of her Otoe-Missouria people for her life and protection," according to the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Black says that two Broken Arrow Public School officials approached her on the football field where the ceremony was about to take place, and yelled at her to remove the "decoration."
Black says she tried to explain to the staff that the eagle plume was a "significant" "religious and cultural item, not a decoration," according to the lawsuit.
She alleges that the two staff members ignored her and tried to rip the eagle plume off her cap.
Black says she suffered a panic attack and sank to the ground with her knees curled up to her chest, while the two staff members continued to grab at her eagle feather.
The sacred plume was "physically and ceremonially damaged" in the encounter, the lawsuit alleges. And now, Black says she's not sure if she will ever use it again, according to the lawsuit.
Black ended up holding the plume in her hand when she walked across the graduation stage. Other students were allowed to wear religious items to the ceremony, like hijabs and crosses, but school policy required them to request formal approval beforehand, according to the lawsuit.
Black said in the lawsuit that she was never told about the policy, and was even told by a teacher that the feather was allowed.
Tara Thompson, a spokesperson for Broken Arrow Public Schools, did not respond to the specific allegations in a statement to Insider.
But Thompson said students at the school "do have the option to add items to their graduation regalia."
"Not only do we make exceptions for the Native American tribes, we also allow other religious and ethnic heritages to be celebrated by the wearing of specific items," Thompson said. "This process has been in place for several years, including last year."
The school highlighted a section of its graduation rules that states students must "follow the below approval process" before wearing cultural clothing.
Black's lawsuit says the school official who approves those requests was on leave at the time of Black's graduation.
Black alleges her freedom of speech and right to exercise her religion were violated, and wants $50,000 in damages.
"Nothing can undo the harm that was done to Ms. Black," her attorney, Morgan Saunders, told Insider. "But the goal of this lawsuit has always been to make sure nothing like this ever happens to another student and we are hopeful this lawsuit will make a difference."
The principal of Broken Arrow High School did not respond to Insider's request for comment.