Every year, less evolved people go out of their way to be offensive on Halloween.
One teacher at Parkdale Collegiate Institution came to class in everyday clothes and blackface. Confused and shocked, his students asked what his costume was and he reportedly became defensive and said he “looked cool.” The teacher has been placed on “home assignment” pending the outcome of an investigation with the Toronto District School Board — BUT that was only after students complained. Apparently, he interacted with his colleagues normally and no one batted an eye. See a photo of his “costume” above.
In a letter to concerned parents the Toronto high school’s principal says she did ask him to remove the makeup… eventually. From CBCNews:
“Stang [a student who witnessed the incident] said students asked the teacher what his costume was and the teacher became defensive and said it ‘looked cool.’ After class had ended, Stang said students and teachers gathered at the auditorium for an assembly. ‘No one approached him. No one confronted him about what he was doing,’ Stang said.”
“As things kind of sunk in through the afternoon and evening I realized that there were other instructors, there were other teachers who saw him and who were interacting with him throughout the day before he was asked to take the makeup off,” Stang’s mother adds.
In her letter, Principal Julie Ardell reportedly called the incident “racist and dehumanizing,” adding that he was told to wash his face and reported to the TDSB. “Caricatures of peoples’ race and culture are not appropriate and are offensive and hurtful,” Principal Ardell wrote in the letter. “While we have begun the work of addressing anti-Black racism and all forms of discrimination, it is clear that we must do more.”
Yes, we must do more — starting with shutting it down immediately, instead of waiting for complaints to come in. How was he even allowed to walk into the school building, let alone an assembly meeting? Why was he able to (reportedly) go on with teaching after washing his face? We need answers.
