In the latest episode of “When Wokeism Goes Wrong,” two diversity advocates are in hot water after calling out a school district for doing a racism. But, as usual, there was more to the story.
Stuart Rhoden and Jill Lassen, who specialize in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), slammed Scottsdale Unified School District’s Hopi Elementary PTA for hiring a DJ for one of their charity events. They took issue with the hiring of Kim Koko Hunter for performing while wearing blackface.
Sounds pretty horrible, right?
But there was one glaring problem: Hunter is a black man.
The two wokeism adherents, who work with the district, realized their mistake later. The Arizona Daily Independent obtained a message written by Hopi PTA president Megan Livengood to Lassen to correct the record. “The DJ that the Hopi PTA hire[d] was, in fact a Black man,” she wrote. “It is insulting that you feel myself or PTA condone racist behavior or encourage it by posting on social media.”
Lassen, who works as a librarian, was apologetic in her reply:
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.
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However, Rhoden wasn’t quite so willing to consume the plate of crow on his table. He published a post on Facebook with a side-by-side image of Hunter in a pathetic attempt to prove he darkened his face even though he is already black.
“Let me be clear, a black man, apparently in black face is an entirely different discussion than a White person,” he wrote. “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.”
In a live stream on Facebook, Hunter said an organizer called him to confirm that he is a melanated being. “They thought that the DJ there or the person there was in a black face, and the person that they thought was in black face was me,” Hunter said.
“Wait a minute, in their defense,” he said to his friend who was broadcasting with him, “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 concluded while laughing.
“Was I not Black enough? How black do I got to be for people to know that I’m an actual Black person,” he quipped.
To describe this moment as cringeworthy is an understatement. It is easy to see what happened here. These two individuals were so eager to call something racist that when they saw the picture, they didn’t even bother to consider that Hunter was actually a black person. Perhaps they believed they would garner plaudits for uncovering yet another example illustrating how deeply racist America remains. Instead, they wound up making themselves look like utter fools. But this is what happens when wokeism is your religion, isn’t it? Zealots of any faith are bound to go overboard. But unfortunately, they are not typically held accountable in the way these two were.
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