- San Diego Union Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/01/serra-high-school-blackface-halloween/
- Local issue, however receiving national level news
- Education, Discrimination
- This issue affects all citizens, and the issue directly affects students and staff of the high school.
- All citizens should be informed on this issue and should follow the policies which come out of it. The issue is related to the continued progress of our country to be accepting of all races.
- I chose to do this article because I used play against this high school while I attended a nearby San Diego school. There are multiple angles in which this event can be viewed and I understand most of them.
Firstly, the men who dressed up as the bobsled team were simply having fun. I thought the costumes were great, and the now famous picture shows how much fun they were having. So, to me I see that they were having a fun Halloween. I have never cared what color skin someone is, so to me the fact that they painted their faces barely crossed my mind until pointed out in the article.
However, the fact that the painted their faces is the main argument within the second view of the event. It is extremely insensitive to paint your face to become another race, especially when you are staff of a high school, where sensitivity is taken to a whole new level. When the idea to paint their faces was brought up, a huge red flag should have crossed their minds.
Lastly, the superintendent of the school district punished the staff members for their costumes. It was a wise decision to suspend the staff involved. Whether the superintendent disagrees or not, those who are offended by their costumes need to see that the event was not simply looked over.
It's wild to think that a policy needs to be put into place to regulate Halloween costumes. However, within a professional setting people need to seriously consider their choices and be aware of cultural sensitivity.
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