FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — A controversy erupted at Whitewater High School after individuals appeared in blackface at a recent volleyball game.
The incident has drawn condemnation from the Fayette County Public Schools superintendent and the NAACP.
It happened during a volleyball match between Whitewater and LaGrange high schools last week. A photo has been circulating on social media.
“I think that it went off the rails when you painted yourself black, and including your face,” Fayette County NAACP President Kevin Pratt II told Channel 2’s Tom Regan on Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m. “And then when you add the Afro wigs on top of that, I think that’s a combination, a recipe for disaster.”
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Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Patterson said in a statement that a small group, including a non-Whitewater High School student and several adults, entered the gym with their faces and bodies painted entirely black.
The superintendent called it “deeply offensive” and stated that painting one’s face black is never acceptable. He added that the school administration addressed the group quickly after they entered the gym.
Pratt said he received numerous messages expressing outrage from people all over the country.
The superintendent plans to meet with the NAACP leader to discuss steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The names of those involved have not been released.
The event was billed as a “blackout” for the home team, encouraging fans to wear black but not paint their faces and bodies black.
Pratt stated that those involved should offer a public apology, regardless of their intent.
“Even if they feel they didn’t do anything, we don’t get the permission to determine if we offended somebody,” he said. “Once someone says they’re offended or you hurt their feelings, you have one duty, to say ‘I’m sorry.’”
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