The Santa Barbara NAACP strongly condemns the latest racist Blackface incident at San Marcos High School and the mishandling of the response by school and district officials. This incident exemplifies the types of racial violence that have left invisible scars on generations of Black students in Santa Barbara schools.
Blackface is rooted in the historical legacy of the racist treatment of Black life in the entertainment industry. According to Jennifer Bloomquist, professor of Africana Studies at Gettysburg College, “the national White fascination with African American life as popular entertainment began with the proliferation of minstrel shows in the late 1820s … the actors had little or no real contact with African Americans, so their version of Black culture was almost entirely grounded in racist stereotypes.”
The incident at San Marcos High School is Blackface in the digital age. The racist images “provide non-Black acculturated people with a perception of Blackness that is founded in inaccuracies and derision but has been portrayed as authentic, leaving Black life open to continual mimicry.” There is only one way to view this racist incident — not two; it is simply wrong.
SBUSD has struggled to establish protocols to respond to racial incidents and execute them with humanity. Principals need clear guidance; parents and students need accessible information about district investigations and potential disciplinary actions for racist incidents.
SBUSD’s response should be transparent, and it should administer discipline equitably. Far too many Black students have been suspended for less severe infractions.
For three years, the NAACP has demanded clear protocols and effective training centered on, and led by, those with lived experience. With so few Black leaders and teachers, the district is ill-equipped to adequately address deep anti-Blackness in schools. Our community has been ready, willing, and able to provide support through the CABAWE advisory committee.
In June, Black students from Dos Pueblos appealed to the SBUSD board for action. The problems those students highlighted have now surfaced at another campus. Black students feel unheard and unsafe.
The same leaders and systems keep failing. It is time for new leadership and systemic change.
