NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – The Yulee community is rallying behind twin sisters who received a racist letter in the mail in response to a poster placed in front of their home celebrating their graduation.
The anonymous letter reads: “Resident: Don’t you think enough is enough? It’s time to take those hideous posters of that ugly fat black girl down off your house. What a disgrace to the neighborhood. In fact, your entire brood is a disgrace to the neighborhood. Consider moving to a “hood” of your kind. Your neighbors are watching you!”
According to the family and Sheriff Bill Leeper, the FBI is looking into the case to see if it meets the definition of a hate crime.
Since then, their story has gained national attention and support from people all over. Two groups called Cracking The Codes and the Racial Equality Coalition organized a car parade Thursday night for the Yulee High School graduates.
Hundreds of people participated in a car parade showing their support for the Sproul twins in Yulee. Xanah and Xarah’s family received a nasty letter in the mail last week. The writer made racial slurs towards the sisters band posters hung outside their house. @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/QuK25F5AqS
— Corley Peel (@WJXT_CorleyPeel) July 31, 2020
About 200 people filled the street, honking their horns for Xanah and Xarah Sproul. Some dropped off flowers and cards, showing their support for the straight-A students.
“I taught the girls at Yulee High School and they are amazing young women, so I had to come support them because they deserve it,” said Laici Grice, a teacher.
The twin’s older sister, Niah, says the family has received outpouring support from people locally and worldwide.
“We’ve had people from Singapore and Budapest today and Canada, literally all over the world,” she said.
The family members say they’re not going to let whoever wrote the letter bring them down.
“I just want to say, whatever you were intending for us to get from that, it didn’t work,” said the twin’s brother, Ari.
“I would just like them to know, that this does not stop us from growing and loving each other and loving the rest of the world,” said Niah Sproul.
Xanah and Xarah Sproul didn’t wish to do interviews Thursday night, but said they were grateful for the support. They are set to attend Saint Leo University on scholarship in the fall, both receiving four-year “Tipping the Scale” scholarships from the Boys and Girls Club.
The letter was unsigned and typed, and while the author says they live in the Timber Creek neighborhood, the letter was mailed from Jacksonville. The family says the FBI is examining the letter.