Principal forbids first black valedictorian from giving speech

“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,” Jaisaan said in his address. “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.”



Imagine earning your spot as valedictorian for your class, only to have it taken away from you, without the principal even looking at your speech?

That’s what happened to Jaisaan Lovett, who recently graduated from University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men, with a full ride to Clark Atlanta University to boot.

Not only is Jaisaan smart and hardworking, he is the first black valedictorian from his school and had prepared a speech meant to address things he thought were important such as thanks to his parents, siblings, teachers, classmates ... and especially his principal.

However, that speech would never be heard at graduation. The school refused to let him speak. Lovett said that was due to personal issues between himself and Joseph Munno, the principal, WCNC reports.



However, with the help of Rochester, N.Y., Mayor Lovely Warren, who Jaisaan happened to be interning with, his speech was not only heard by the people in the school but the whole city, and now the whole nation.

Warren invited Jaisaan to City Hall to deliver the speech, which was then uploaded to the city’s official YouTube channel.