A small school district in Vermont has come under a wave of racist and threatening calls and messages after raising the Somali flag in solidarity with its students, following comments by U.S. President Donald Trump describing Minnesota’s Somali community as “garbage.”
The Winooski School District hoisted the flag on December 5 as a show of support for its diverse student population, which includes about 9% students of Somali heritage.
“We wanted to give our students and our community a brief sense of calm amid the rise in racist language across the country,” said Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria, a Nicaraguan immigrant. “At first, it felt like the right thing to do, until the hostility began Monday morning.”
The Somali flag was displayed alongside the Vermont state flag and beneath the U.S. flag at a building that houses both classrooms and administrative offices. Somali students applauded and expressed how meaningful the gesture was to them, Chavarria said.
Soon after, the district was flooded with hostile phone calls, voicemails, and social media attacks directed at staff and students.
To protect employees, some school phone lines and the district’s website were temporarily shut down.
Chavarria explained that videos circulating on far-right social media platforms failed to show that the U.S. and Vermont flags remained in place, stripping the action of its full context.
“Our staff, administrators, and families are under immense pressure right now,” he said Tuesday. “The attacks are vicious and deeply offensive.”
Mukhtar Abdullahi, a multilingual family liaison who works with Somali-speaking households, said the situation has left students fearful for their parents’ safety.
“No one, no matter where they come from is garbage,” Abdullahi said. “Despite everything, our community remains strong, and I’m grateful to be part of it.”
The district is working closely with law enforcement as the threats continue, with additional police presence added at school buildings.
