Two diversity advocates in Arizona are facing criticism after labeling a local school district racist when it allegedly hired a DJ to perform wearing blackface.
However, the two did not seem to know the DJ was a black man, according to a report.
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Stuart Rhoden and Jill Lassen ripped into the PTA at Scottsdale Unified School District’s Hopi Elementary after it hired Kim Koko Hunter, 56, to DJ at a charity event.
Rhoden and Lassen, who reportedly do diversity work with the district, launched their attack when they saw a picture of the DJ, according to the report.
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Woke Ariz. diversity activists falsely accuse black DJ of wearing blackface https://t.co/Rt9Mgy9wB0 pic.twitter.com/Cs4W8Cwo4r
— New York Post (@nypost) April 17, 2022
“The DJ that the Hopi PTA hire[d] was, in fact a Black man,” Hopi PTA President Megan Livengood said in a message obtained by the Arizona Daily Independent. “It is insulting that you feel myself or PTA condone racist behavior or encourage it by posting on social media.”
Lassen, a librarian, apologized for her actions.
“You are right. We should’ve reached out and inquired before making such accusations. I cannot fathom the hurt, anger, and frustration you felt after you and others volunteered countless hours on your event. Again, I truly apologize,” Lassen said.
Rhoden, an instructor at Arizona State University, was far less apologetic and appeared to suggest that Hunter had still darkened his face.
“Let me be clear, a black man, apparently in black face is an entirely different discussion than a White person,” he said in a Facebook post. “However… it seems at the very least he is in darker make-up if not ‘Black face’ or I am completely mistaken and it’s the lighting of the patio.”
Hunter addressed the photos and the criticism that followed.
“They thought that the DJ there or the person there was in a blackface, and the person that they thought was in blackface was me,” Hunter said. “Wait a minute, in their defense, how many chips in the ice cream did you see?”
“They were probably thinking the same thing I am: Wow, there are no black people here,” he said.
The DJ then categorically denied the allegation that he was wearing blackface.
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“Was I not black enough? How black do I got to be for people to know that I’m an actual black person,” he said.
