8 yr. old paints face black to represent Martin Luther King and gets booted from scho

Should this 8 yr. old have been able to keep his face paint on?

  • Yes

    Votes: 8 66.7%
  • No

    Votes: 4 33.3%

  • Total voters
    12
  • Poll closed .

oreo

Gold Member
Sep 15, 2008
18,102
2,924
290
rocky mountains
As we know kids are color blind- in this day and age---and this second grader choose to represent Martin Luther King on wax museum day--along with that he was supposed to give a little speech about King. His parents attended wanting to hear his speech--but before he could give it--someone got upset and this 8 year old got booted out of school for the day.

Sean King, an eight-year-old second grader at Meridian Ranch Elementary School in Colorado Springs was pulled out of class by the principal for painting his face black when he dressed up as Martin Luther King, Jr. for wax museum day. The students were instructed to dress up as a historical figure. Sean, according to his mother, Michelle King-Roca, was excited: “He said, 'Mom, I want to wear a black suit because that’s what he wore, a black tie, a white shirt and also I want to do my face black and wear a mustache.”

Sean’s parents accompanied their child to school, as did other parents, and were stunned by the turn of events: “Right before it was time to come in (to the classroom), the principal came up and stated he (Sean) was to take the face mask off. There was a person in the faculty that had an issue with it,” said King-Roca. She and her husband ignored the principal’s request to take Sean’s make-up off and remained in the classroom waiting for Sean’s presentation. But when the principal returned to the classroom, she and her husband were asked to come to the principal’s office. “I was upset. I started crying,” said King-Roca.

A spokeswoman for the school, Stephanie Meredith, said it wasn’t just a staff member who took offensive to Sean’s face paint: “When other students are offended by something, it is the principal’s role that the educational environment is safe for all students.” She admitted that there were no guidelines given for the class project, but that the school’s dress policy was against wearing face paint.

Sean was confused by the principal’s request that he wash his face: “They thought it was inappropriate and it will be disrespectful to black people and I say it’s not. I like black people. It’s just a costume and I don’t want to insult anybody.”

Of course, the NAACP had to make its own sentiments heard; Rosemary Harris Lytle, the president of the Colorado Springs branch, said the school acted properly:

"When I saw the story about the young scholar who decided he would portray Martin Luther King for a class project, I was so proud of him. Unfortunately, by having blackface as part of his presentation, it ended up harkening back to a really tragic time in the life of this country, a time when blackface was used by entertainers primarily to demean African-Americans, and in a way I know this young man couldn't have intended to do … To go back to the history of minstrels and of blackface and of the sad time when people who were geniuses were portrayed as nothing more than figures of comedy."

It’s ironic the NAACP is tacitly indicting an eight-year-old of racism for wanting to look like a great black American hero as much as possible.
8-Year-Old Chastised For Wearing Black Make-Up To Dress As MLK Jr.

In my opinion the school just taught this 8 year old what racism is. He cannot portray someone who he admires--as he wishes. Yet I don't know how many movies I have seen where blacks have painted their faces white--one very recent movie--a comedy--where two black men paint their faces white and dress up as women models--to go on an undercover operation. No one raised cain over that. If blacks are going to be equals to whites and be treated fairly they certainly shouldn't call foul in these kind of "innocent" instances. As for the principle--staff and teachers--they should be ashamed of themselves for this kind of overreaction.
 
Last edited:
Regarding this whole face painting thing having a racial slant... "Lighten up" people!
 
anyway, of course the kid is too young to understand what minstrelsy did to black people back in the day when it was practiced, how this, one of the first forms of mass culture, was successfully used by powerful white people to define another race as less than their own, uniformly, across the whole country, and before television!

Adults are another matter though, and unless they have the IQ of a pet rock (though neither the depth or the warmth), his parents should have known at least a little about how hurtful this could be, and should have explained it to their well intended son. Instead, the kid was left to feel like he did something wrong, and as if something wrong was done to him in the translation of his intentions.

From the ABC link:

"These shows portrayed blacks as subservient, childish and had negative stereotypes," he told The Associated Press on Friday.

Meridian Elementary Principal Erica Mason hopes to turn the situation into a teaching moment...

School Pulls Boy From Class for Black Face Costume - ABC News
 
As we know kids are color blind- in this day and age---and this second grader choose to represent Martin Luther King on wax museum day--along with that he was supposed to give a little speech about King. His parents attended wanting to hear his speech--but before he could give it--someone got upset and this 8 year old got booted out of school for the day.

Sean King, an eight-year-old second grader at Meridian Ranch Elementary School in Colorado Springs was pulled out of class by the principal for painting his face black when he dressed up as Martin Luther King, Jr. for wax museum day. The students were instructed to dress up as a historical figure. Sean, according to his mother, Michelle King-Roca, was excited: “He said, 'Mom, I want to wear a black suit because that’s what he wore, a black tie, a white shirt and also I want to do my face black and wear a mustache.”

Sean’s parents accompanied their child to school, as did other parents, and were stunned by the turn of events: “Right before it was time to come in (to the classroom), the principal came up and stated he (Sean) was to take the face mask off. There was a person in the faculty that had an issue with it,” said King-Roca. She and her husband ignored the principal’s request to take Sean’s make-up off and remained in the classroom waiting for Sean’s presentation. But when the principal returned to the classroom, she and her husband were asked to come to the principal’s office. “I was upset. I started crying,” said King-Roca.

A spokeswoman for the school, Stephanie Meredith, said it wasn’t just a staff member who took offensive to Sean’s face paint: “When other students are offended by something, it is the principal’s role that the educational environment is safe for all students.” She admitted that there were no guidelines given for the class project, but that the school’s dress policy was against wearing face paint.

Sean was confused by the principal’s request that he wash his face: “They thought it was inappropriate and it will be disrespectful to black people and I say it’s not. I like black people. It’s just a costume and I don’t want to insult anybody.”

Of course, the NAACP had to make its own sentiments heard; Rosemary Harris Lytle, the president of the Colorado Springs branch, said the school acted properly:

"When I saw the story about the young scholar who decided he would portray Martin Luther King for a class project, I was so proud of him. Unfortunately, by having blackface as part of his presentation, it ended up harkening back to a really tragic time in the life of this country, a time when blackface was used by entertainers primarily to demean African-Americans, and in a way I know this young man couldn't have intended to do … To go back to the history of minstrels and of blackface and of the sad time when people who were geniuses were portrayed as nothing more than figures of comedy."

It’s ironic the NAACP is tacitly indicting an eight-year-old of racism for wanting to look like a great black American hero as much as possible.


8-Year-Old Chastised For Wearing Black Make-Up To Dress As MLK Jr.

In my opinion the school just taught this 8 year old what racism is. He cannot portray someone who he admires--as he wishes. Yet I don't know how many movies I have seen where blacks have painted their faces white--one very recent movie--a comedy--where two black men paint their faces white and dress up as women models--to go on an undercover operation. No one raised cain over that. If blacks are going to be equals to whites and be treated fairly they certainly shouldn't call foul in these kind of "innocent" instances. As for the principle--staff and teachers--they should be ashamed of themselves for this kind of overreaction.

As to what I bolded and underlined, see to the bold red in the statement from the NCAAP in the same damned article. They in NO way implied that the young man was anything other than innocent in his intent.

You're a tool

:bsflag::slap:
 
Last edited:
The 8 year old learned a valued lesson in 2012 race relations.... You can't win for losing.
 
anyway, of course the kid is too young to understand what minstrelsy did to black people back in the day when it was practiced, how this, one of the first forms of mass culture, was successfully used by powerful white people to define another race as less than their own, uniformly, across the whole country, and before television!

Adults are another matter though, and unless they have the IQ of a pet rock (though neither the depth or the warmth), his parents should have known at least a little about how hurtful this could be, and should have explained it to their well intended son. Instead, the kid was left to feel like he did something wrong, and as if something wrong was done to him in the translation of his intentions.

From the ABC link:

"These shows portrayed blacks as subservient, childish and had negative stereotypes," he told The Associated Press on Friday.

Meridian Elementary Principal Erica Mason hopes to turn the situation into a teaching moment...

School Pulls Boy From Class for Black Face Costume - ABC News

It was generations ago...get over it.
 
A special level of hell needs to be carved out for the ninny nannies of PC.

The special level of hell is called, "Public School Administration."

If the administrators allowed the black face, then the local TV station would have sent their blackest employee over to the school to do a story about Why School Administrators Allowed The Outrage. Jesse Jackson would follow. Al Sharpton would link arms with the black community and surround the campus until a public apology was made, and even afterward he would demand the principal be dismissed.

If the administrators does NOT allow the black face, then they only piss of the kids parents, and appear more stupid to a public that already believes they are morons.
 
What?

It was OK for Michael Jackson to make his face white, but it is not OK for this boy to make his face black?

Seriously, the kid only did this as a class project and to honor someone, these PC correct people need to go back under their darn rocks and stay there.


.
 
What?

It was OK for Michael Jackson to make his face white, but it is not OK for this boy to make his face black?

Seriously, the kid only did this as a class project and to honor someone, these PC correct people need to go back under their darn rocks and stay there.


.

:eusa_shifty:

speaking of the need to stay under a rock..........:eusa_shhh:
 
What?

It was OK for Michael Jackson to make his face white, but it is not OK for this boy to make his face black?

Seriously, the kid only did this as a class project and to honor someone, these PC correct people need to go back under their darn rocks and stay there.


.

Michael Jackson wanted to be white.

I submit that so do most blacks.
 
What?

It was OK for Michael Jackson to make his face white, but it is not OK for this boy to make his face black?

Seriously, the kid only did this as a class project and to honor someone, these PC correct people need to go back under their darn rocks and stay there.


.

:eusa_shifty:

speaking of the need to stay under a rock..........:eusa_shhh:

So, are you one of those that thinks the kid should have gotten in trouble?
 
Is there a credible link? How many times will people fall for Breitbarts's fake stories?

How's ABC news for a link?

School Pulls Boy From Class for Black Face Costume - ABC News

Thank you. If this story turns out to be true... i would say that his parents are at fault for not explaining (or ignorance) 500 years of institutional slavary and racism in America might make some people sensitive to black face painting.

500 years?

Interesting. I did not realize we've been a country since 1512.
 
What?

It was OK for Michael Jackson to make his face white, but it is not OK for this boy to make his face black?

Seriously, the kid only did this as a class project and to honor someone, these PC correct people need to go back under their darn rocks and stay there.


.

:eusa_shifty:

speaking of the need to stay under a rock..........:eusa_shhh:

So, are you one of those that thinks the kid should have gotten in trouble?

No, I'm saying that you haven't given much thought to the subject, and that until you have done more than learned to regurgitate whatever you hear on "Fox and Friends" it would serve you well to remain under your own rock.
 

Thank you. If this story turns out to be true... i would say that his parents are at fault for not explaining (or ignorance) 500 years of institutional slavary and racism in America might make some people sensitive to black face painting.

500 years?

Interesting. I did not realize we've been a country since 1512.

Slavery was invented by the Constitution. It had been in America for a long time.
 

New Topics

Forum List

Back
Top