Marlon Anderson, the security guard who was fired for telling a student to stop using “n****r,” got his job back.
The Madison Metropolitan School District rehired Anderson on Monday, according to WISC. Anderson was overjoyed at the news.
"I'm thankful. I'm blessed, and I'm so happy to be going back and doing what I do," Anderson said. "I miss the kids. I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running. I'm excited (and) so happy for the kids because they got out and fought for this, and they won. I'm excited to walk back into the school because that's going to let them know their voices are powerful."
As Blavity previously reported, Anderson was terminated last Wednesday, two days after he corrected a Black student who used the slur while being escorted out of West High School in Madison, Wisconsin. The school cited its zero-tolerance discrimination policy.
“Do not call me that, do not call me n****r," he reportedly told the teen.
His firing sparked outcry from students, community members and people across the world. Noah Anderson, Marlon's son and president of the school's Black Student Union, staged a walkout with about 1,000 of his classmates. Music mogul Cher even offered to pay his legal fees if he decided to sue the school district.
The support touched Marlon.
"I didn't expect support from all over the world. I didn't expect these young people to step up and go on a rally and go down to the Doyle building and say they want me back," he told WISC. "I didn't think I was this special."
He was temporarily hired by the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County during the drama and will probably keep his job there too. Michael Johnson, Boys and Girls Club CEO and one of Marlon's many advocates, is happy with the outcome.
“I feel really good for him," Johnson said. "I'm thankful both the superintendent and the school board president over the weekend took our calls. They followed to a T the recommendations we presented to them, and I don't think we could have asked for a better situation."
However, the zero-tolerance policy is still in place, and Marlon wants to see it gone.
"I feel a lot better, but it appears this policy is still intact," he told Madison 365. "The policy needs to be dealt with as well. I'm still fighting that. I am transitioning my fight. I am no longer just trying to get my job back. I'm fighting to end a policy that's not effective."
Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education president Gloria Reyes, the official who recommended the reversal, said the district's policies are under review.
"In our commitment to tackle anti-racism we have created universal practices using the non-discrimination policy to protect those who are most impacted by racial slurs," Reyes said in a statement. "This is an opportunity for the board to review the policies and practices that are currently being used and dive deep into the issues of racism in our schools. It is important that we do not harm those that we are trying to protect."