A staff member at Mabel Rush Elementary school in Newberg, Oregon has been placed on leave after she showed up to work in blackface.
Per KGW, the staff member in question allegedly claimed she dressed as Rosa Parks as part of a protest against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for school staff. The district statement on the matter does not state if the woman is a teacher, as the vaccine mandate in the school district specifies all staff must get the vaccine, not just educators.
“Last Friday, one of our employees reported for work in Blackface,” read the statement from the Newberg, Oregon school district. “The employee was removed from the location, and HR has placed the employee on administrative leave. The administration of Newberg Public Schools condemns all expressions of racism. It is important to remember how Blackface has been used to misrepresent Black communities and do harm. We acknowledge the violence this represents and the trauma it evokes regardless of intention."
"Blackface has no place in our schools, and we are committed to the work of created spaces where every student belongs as we move forward together in our mission of educating students,” the statement concluded.
The news comes around a week after KGW reported that Newberg High School, another school in the same district, was under fire after the school discovered some of its students had participated in or were targeted by a social media group that held online “slave trade” auctions. In those auctions, students made comments about how much they would “pay” for their Black classmates. Some of the students who participated in the racist group made comments such as “all Blacks should die,” and “let’s have another Holocaust.”
The school’s principal, Tami Erion, strongly condemned their racism. "As a community, we continue to grapple with issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging," wrote Erion. "Newberg High School is committed to ensuring that ALL students are afforded a safe learning environment by prohibiting harassment based upon gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion or disability."
Back in August, the Newberg school board voted to ban Pride and Black Lives Matter flags across all school district facilities, which also prohibited staff members from wearing any Pride or BLM items at work. In response, the ACLU of Oregon sent a letter to the board calling the move unlawful.
