A high school teacher working at Parkdale Collegiate Institute in Toronto arrived in Blackface makeup for the school’s Halloween celebrations — and it’s 2021. He knew better.
via People:
A Grade 9 student captured photos of the teacher, Gorian Surlan, wearing blackface as he stood before his business class teaching. When asked immediately about his costume by confused students, Surlan stated he didn’t have an idea for his Halloween costume, so he decided to paint his face black.
“He got really defensive. He said ‘I thought it would look cool,’” Otis Ikiriko, a biracial and Nigerian ninth grade student present in the classroom, told The Toronto Star.
Though Surlan was immediately asked to wash his face and was sent home on paid leave, students and parents are still asking for more accountability and action to be taken within the Toronto District School Board and demanding a thorough change within their policies regarding hate and racial discrimination for both teachers and students.
“Caricatures of peoples’ race or culture are not appropriate and are offensive and hurtful,” wrote Julie Ardell, the principal for Parkdale Collegiate Institute, in a letter sent to parents regarding the teacher’s appalling blackface.
A report was filed with the board for TDSB’s Reporting and Responding to Racism and Hate Incidents Involving or Impacting Students in Schools Procedure. Ardell said due to the investigation, the teacher was put on home assignment pending the outcome.
That’s definitely a problem and he should be out of a job.
