After students sparked viral outrage for allegedly appearing in blackface at a Whitewater High School volleyball game in Fayetteville, Ga., the district’s superintendent is publicly addressing the incident.
“I want to address a serious concern from our recent athletic event at WHS,” said Dr. Jonathan S. Patterson, superintendent of Fayette County Schools, in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
According to Patterson, the group involved consisted of “a small group of individuals, including one non-Whitewater student and several adults.” The students, who had painted their faces and bodies black, “were quickly addressed by school administration,” he said.
Patterson strongly condemned the use of blackface.
“We want to state clearly: it is never acceptable to paint one’s face black,” he said. “This action is deeply offensive, and it does not reflect the values of our schools or our community. We also recognize that we should have prevented these individuals from entering our athletic facility in this manner, and we regret that we did not do so. We sincerely apologize for the hurt this incident has caused to our students, families, and community.”
The superintendent added that the district will work closely with groups such as the NAACP to provide training and ensure staff can respond appropriately in the future. He also confirmed that the student code of conduct will be reviewed to clearly define the use of blackface as unacceptable.
“Our goal is not only to address this individual incident but also to encourage all to pause, reflect, and recognize how personal choices affect peers, teachers, families, and the broader community,” Patterson continued.
The event had been promoted as a “blackout” for the home team, encouraging fans to wear black clothing, but not blackface or body paint, according to WSBTV.
Georgia State Rep. Derrick Jackson, a Democrat, also denounced the incident at a press conference.
“We are here today because of the deep hurt and disharmony caused by the recent racial incident at last week’s volleyball game,” Jackson said. “The presence of blackface was an act of profound insensitivity, and the Fayette County School System’s failure to address it is unacceptable.”
He went on to call on the superintendent to “lead” and demanded immediate action. “We refuse to ignore the very real pain this has created. A policy is useless if it is not enforced, and our school system has failed its most basic responsibility to our children,” Jackson, 59, added.
Jackson urged the district to implement disciplinary measures against those involved and amend policies to prevent similar incidents in the future. “We must never sweep racial incidents in our schools under the rug; our students deserve to feel respected and protected,” he said.
Parents at Whitewater High also voiced concerns during a board of education meeting. One parent described the situation as “demoralizing” and “dehumanizing to the human race and to the Black race,” according to Atlanta News First.
Adrian Cooley, a parent of two WHS students, submitted a letter demanding an official apology. “There has to be some repercussions. This is not a ‘my bad’ thing,” he told ANF, adding that the apology was “past due.”
Blackface is defined as “dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people,” per Merriam-Webster. Its history in the United States is rooted in minstrel shows, where white performers wore blackface to portray racist stereotypes of Black people, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
