An elementary school teacher in the Pacific Northwest has shown up to school in blackface last week. This teacher claims to be portraying Rosa Parks to protest a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The state has, in fact, imposed a vaccine mandate in August for K-12 teachers. It does say they must be completely vaccinating by October 18th.

In a nearby city in Oregon, the teacher worked at Mabel Rush Elementary School.

Elementary School Teacher Called to Task for Racism

“One of our employees, last Friday, reported for work in Blackface. It has been determining the employee was removing from the location. Then HR had placed the employee on administrative leave,” is according to the statement. “Condemning all expressions of racism is what the administration of Newberg Public Schools favors.

Elementary School Teacher: District is Really Appalled by Implications of Blackface

Superintendent Dr. Joe Morelock is calling this “beyond unacceptable.”

“I can say I am horrified, angry, and ashamed that this happened, as is almost every other staff member. The students of color in Newberg, really deserve so much more. This goes against everything I and the overwhelming majority of (Newberg School District) staff believe, and is unfathomably offensive,” he said in a statement.

Ongoing Trend of Racist Incidients

There is a pattern of racist incidents in the school district which includes the blackface incident.

Slave Trade

Parents, just last week, brought to the attention of the school district information about a group chat that several students were in called “Slave Trade.” This is where students would jokingly bid money on their Black classmates. In turn, calling for their deaths, and asking for “another Holocaust.” This unconscionable behavior is setting back the U.S. hundreds of years!

In fact, the news of the “Slave Trade” game did occur hours before the Newberg school board went over a new ban. It was on “Controversial Political Symbols” in its schools. This would include Black Lives Matter and more.