A pair of Utah high schoolers are facing backlash after attending a “blackout-themed” football event at Pine View High School in St. George wearing black makeup. Edward Wright, whose daughter attends the school, criticized the school for allowing what he viewed as a racist display and expressed outrage that the boys were even celebrated for their “spirit” at the game.
“This s*** is ridiculous,” Wright wrote online, highlighting his frustration. “And the picture was posted by a teacher who teaches at the school – great message. Pine View High School, you must do better. If my daughter is old enough to experience racism, your child is old enough to learn about it.”
While some parents and community members condemned the incident, others defended the boys, claiming the paint was intended to resemble their team mascot, a panther, aligning with the game’s “blackout” theme. The photograph shows two students, one with his entire face painted black and the other with black paint covering most of his face except for the mouth and chin.
‘This is a blackout game…. Like where everyone wears and paints themselves black, the school color, to show support,’ one father wrote.
He added that his daughter was on the cheer team pictured, and she is planning to be ‘blacked out at the next blackout game’. ‘I can’t wait to hear how we are racist for supporting our kids and our school,’ he added. ‘Damn bro, where is the love and tolerance exactly?’
In an interview with KUTV, Wright clarified that his criticism was directed at the school and not the students themselves. “You could have tapped these young men on the shoulder, whispered in their ear, and let these young men know the significance of this,” he said. He emphasized, “I’m a firm believer that ignorance is not an excuse.”
The Weber County School District, which oversees Pine View High School, issued an apology. The district’s statement read, “We work hard to create a space where all students can feel safe. We are disheartened that this took place and we apologize to our students and community for any offense that was felt because of this incident. This should not have happened!”
The district also outlined steps to improve the school’s culture, mentioning, “We are creating school teams that will work with teachers and staff to help make strategic changes that will improve school-level culture and climate. We are committed to an ongoing process of improvement. This is something that we have continuously done and we will continue to do to help our students feel safe.”
