SPOKANE, Wash. – The Spokane NAACP has issued a response to an alleged incident in which elementary school students were encouraged to “dress as hobos and slaves.”
According to Wilson Elementary School Principal Christina Admire, a newsletter about jazz history was circulated to families on Monday containing material which immediately caused offense to parents.
“Today’s family newsletter included a flyer with culturally insensitive content related to the school’s upcoming music program. School staff quickly recognized the issue and revised the family newsletter in less than 30 minutes,” Admire said.
Admire did not describe the offensive content, but emphasized that it was not consistent with school values and that accountability measures would be undertaken by Wilson Elementary.
“We are working with the staff involved to address the employee actions, as they will be taken very seriously. District leadership will thoroughly investigate the specific details and ensure actions are taken to continue training staff and reinforce protocols,” Admire said.
The Spokane NAACP stated that the newsletter invited students to dress like minstrel performers, a way of describing the racist practice of Blackface. The organization called for accountability and healing in the wake of the incident.
“NAACP calls for continued cultural sensitivity training for our educators and works to construct an inclusive curriculum representative of a culturally diverse community. Educators are the gatekeepers to our students’ education and future,” the NAACP said.
Spokane NAACP leaders intend to meet with Spokane Public Schools administrators following the incident to discuss next steps.
Spokane Public Schools offered its own response to the newsletter.
“District Leadership and the Human Resources Department responded immediately upon learning of this situation, as it will be taken extremely seriously and involve a full-scale investigation…We are deeply sorry for the Wilson School Community and any others who have been harmed by these actions,” the district said.
While details regarding how the school and community are responding are still emerging, it is clear that the newsletter solicited immediate negative feedback from parents and has launched a Spokane Public Schools investigation.
This is a developing story. More information will appear here as available.
