Make California Post a Preferred Source Four California high school girls have been slammed for posting a meme of themselves posing in blackface inside an African-American studies classroom.
The girls, who have not been identified, posted the racially charged picture from San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, with their skin artificially darkened.
In it, they are seen mimicking an AI-generated image of four young black boys in various poses, which has since spread across TikTok.
“Meet the gc🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷…,” the post is captioned. The ninja emoji is known to be used as a reference to the n-word.
San Marcos High School Principal Dare Holdren said the students “portrayed blackface” in the post and noted the school has “instituted consequences” for the four girls, he wrote to parents this past Friday.
“The racial stereotype was reported to the administration through our Safe to Speak Up system two weeks ago, and our administrative team responded promptly,” Holdren wrote.
“As the image has continued to circulate among students and has affected members of our school community, we believe it is important to address it with our broader community as well.”
“The school contacted the offenders’ families and “are working to educate the students about the impact of their actions,” he said. “Racial stereotypes are harmful and have no place in our schools,” he continued.
“Regardless of intent, students need to understand the impact their words, images, and actions can have on others.”
The teens have not been identified. It’s unclear what the exact consequences the school has imposed on them.
San Marcos High School is part of Santa Barbara Unified School District. Superintendent Hilda Maldonado condemned the post and clarified that she felt the incident was harmful.
“Blackface has a long history of dehumanizing and humiliating Black people,” Maldonado told Noozhawk. “What happened was harmful.
“For Black students, staff, and families and for anyone who has experienced being ‘othered,’ this incident can raise a painful question for students and staff: Will I always be judged by my skin color rather than by my humanity?”
“No child or staff member should have to carry that feeling into school.” Other racist incidents have rattled the school district in the past.
A San Marco High School substitute read the n-word out loud during a reading of Of Mice and Men last year after being told not to. The substitute was then removed from campus.
Community members exclaimed in a June 9 meeting that racial issues on campus still prevailed.
“Black students do not feel safe here, and I have personally lost friends who moved away because of it,” a student said at the meeting.
Maldonado suggested the school district will continue to build towards an inclusive school culture.
“I cannot promise that one statement, one lesson, or one initiative will change our culture overnight,” Maldonado said.
“This is not a one-and-done issue. But I can promise that we will keep listening, learning, examining ourselves, and doing this work.”
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