When Jaissan Lovett of Rochester, New York graduated from University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men, he became the first black valedictorian in his school’s history. Like every other valedictorian before him, he prepared to give a speech at the commencement ceremony — but the opportunity was quickly shut down by the school’s principal, Joseph Munno.
“[Munno] didn’t want to see the speech or what it said, nothing,” Lovett said in an interview with The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “He just said no.”
There was one person who wanted to hear what Lovett had to say, though — the mayor of Rochester, Lovely Warren. Lovett was actually an intern for his office, and Warren encouraged him to give his speech at City Hall. Afterwards, she posted it on the city’s YouTube channel and shared it on Facebook and Twitter. The video quickly went viral.
“Unfortunately, Jaisaan’s school did not allow him to give his valedictorian speech,” Warren says in the video. “For some reason, his school — in a country where freedom of speech is a constitution right, and the city of Frederick Douglass — turned his moment of triumph into a time of sorrow and pain.”
She continued, “Jaisaan will never graduate from high school again. He will never get that moment back. This is not the time to punish a child because you may not like what he has to say.”
Warren then gave the mic to Lovett, who took the time to thank his parents, siblings, and teachers for all the support throughout his time at UPrep. He also addressed his principal, who he apparently has clashed with in the past.
“To Mr. Munno, my principal, there’s a whole lot of things I’ve wanted to say to you for a long time… I’m here as the UPrep 2018 valedictorian to tell you that you couldn’t break me. I’m still here, and I’m still here strong.”
He continued, “And after all these years, all this anger I’ve had toward you and UPrep as a whole, I realized I had to let that go in order to better myself. And I forgive you for everything I held against you.”
After the video made the rounds on the internet, UPrep’s Board of Trustees announced that they’re looking into the situation with the principal.
According to CBS News, Lovett will attend Clark Atlanta University and study video game design on a full scholarship.