In the photos, former Lawrenceville School Student Body President Maya Peterson is seen wearing L.L. Bean duck boots, a Yale University sweatshirt and is holding a hockey stick, which she says is representative of the typical ‘Lawrenceville boi.’
In addition to the photos, she added hashtags like ‘#romney2016,’ ‘#confederate,’ and ‘#peakedinhighschool.’
In a lengthy article on the Buzzfeed website, Peterson explains that the photos were meant as a joke in response to complaints made by students about her senior photos, in which she and 10 friends – all of whom were black – are seen raising their fists in a ‘Black Power’ salute.
‘I understand why I hurt people’s feelings, but I didn’t become president to make sure rich white guys had more representation on campus,’ she told the website. ‘Let’s be honest. They’re not the ones that feel uncomfortable here.’