Western Union Elementary School Under Fire For Suggesting 'African American Attire' Is 'Animal Print' (PHOTO) (POLL)

A letter sent home with students at Western Union Elementary School in North Carolina didn't sit well with parents.

The note asked students to wear "African American attire" or animal print for a Black History Month event. When it surfaced on the Internet, community members responded with widespread criticism, WSOC-TV reports.

The letter also suggests wearing "shirts with animals native to Africa," like zebras, lions, giraffes and elephants.

The Charlotte Observer reports that school officials noted the 'African American attire" referred to traditional African clothing the students had been learning about at school.

In a statement, Luan Ingram, the school's chief communications officer said the letter wasn't meant to be offensive.

“While it was well intended, it was poorly worded,” Ingram said, according to the station. “We are reminding all of our principals to be very sensitive in word choices when communicating with parents concerning different ethnic groups and cultures that make up our world.”

Bloggers responded more explicitly.

"WHAT IN THE F--KING H-LL," wrote the Tumblr blog "Feminist Occupy Halloween." "This happened in North Carolina last month. Does anyone know what school it was? We need to bombard their offices with letters/calls."

Popular LGBT blog Unicorn Booty wrote that the school's statement undermines Black History Month in general.

"What’s the point of celebrating -– or hell, even learning about -– diversity if school administrators are unable to ascertain the difference between Black, African American, and African? Or for that matter, the difference between black people and African animals?"

In a separate attire-related controversy, a lawsuit filed against a Minnesota school district last August claimed that a Red Wing High School homecoming event called "Wigger Day" caused a black student "severe emotional distress including depression, loss of sleep, stress, crying, humiliation, anxiety, and shame."

"Wigger is a pejorative slang term for a white person who emulates the mannerisms, language and fashions associated with African-American culture," the complaint explained. Students were encouraged to dress in oversized sports jerseys, low-slung pants, baseball hats cocked to the side and doo-rags.

PHOTO, courtesy of imgur:

Tell us what you think below and in the comments.

Quick Poll

Was this ethnically insensitive?

Yes!

No, just badly worded.

VOTE

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[Chlmrs266]

02:43 AM on 01/11/2013

hahahahahaha so bogus

[Matthew Alan Smith]

06:48 PM on 11/27/2012

It's Black History Month... not African (or African-American) History Month! Black does not mean Africa!

[euromarkusx]

05:50 AM on 03/27/2012

Ah, African-American attire would be what the kids are currently wearing.

"African Attire" would be what is mentioned in the memo.

[pphhrogg]

08:40 PM on 03/26/2012

My problem with the principal is that she is too stupid to BE a principal if she doesn't even know what "African attire" actually is.

[PTerrys]

08:45 AM on 03/26/2012

So for Asian day rice hats, bath robes, or turbans? If you can't find that please wear panda tshirts, gong tshirts or wrap a towel around your head and wear genie pants.

Cultural education based off of lazy research and stereotypes. It's funny until it happens to you.

[EM4MI]

11:43 PM on 03/25/2012

The title to this article is a lie. Huffington is looking to stir up trouble. With press like this, we'll never get along.

[pphhrogg]

08:41 PM on 03/26/2012

I suggest you go and read some of the MANY lies at the Dridge Report.

[Damion D Poe]

11:33 PM on 03/25/2012

i see no issue. to me this is in no way suggesting that animal print is african attire. this is clearly stating that if students do not have "african attire" it is fine o wear animal print associated with africa..... if they had said african attire or dress like monkeys that would have been a completely different story

[gammik64]

01:12 PM on 03/26/2012

monkeys don't wear clothes, a$%h(8E!!!!!

[euromarkusx]

05:52 AM on 03/27/2012

Agreed, Damion.

Ignore gammik64 -- his mother hates him.

[trekie70]

07:59 PM on 03/25/2012

At best, this was simply a poorly worded poster-at worst, a deliberate act with racist overtones. I hope the school uses this as a teachable moment for future reference

[EM4MI]

11:46 PM on 03/25/2012

Why in God's name woud a school deliberatly speak in racist overtones. The only time I could think they would do that is if they wished to get fired the next day. It's just ignorance on the topic with Huffington trying to get the public upset. Disgraceful.

[Mansa]

06:35 AM on 03/25/2012

Would have better if the students were asked to do an exercise asking them to research and write down the sentences for "Hello, how are you? How's the family" in 10 African languages. Or come to school wearing full or partial clothings of some West African ethnic cultures. They are all very beautiful in their varieties. Just check the internet.

[MorpheusXNYC]

12:18 AM on 03/25/2012

I get what they were trying to do. They worded it poorly, but it seems their heart was in the right place.

I'd rather schools teach and share other cultures rather than not, so I'm inclined to applaud a step in the right direction, even if clumsily done and would simply help administrators make a better presentation next time.

The LAST thing we want to do is discourage multicultural dialogue with an over reaction to a well meaning gesture. Overt racism is one thing, but mere cultural Ignorance is another.

We can be the bigger person and SHOW them the right way, rather than chastise them for not getting the cultural shibboleths, lingua franca and native customs right the first time out the gate.

Seriously people. Use some discretion and some understanding on matters of race.
Separate intention from execution and we'll all be a lot closer to a more inclusive and harmonious society.

[salesdude]

10:55 AM on 03/26/2012

Extremely well stated. The attempt by these administrators was as you say, "clumsily done". Unfortunately there are many places across the country where there aren't enough black school administrators and things like this which would have been caught by them slip by.

[biscuitdave]

12:06 AM on 03/25/2012

My African-Americans friends tend to wear chinos, button-up shirts and suits.

[Intelligentia]

11:15 PM on 03/24/2012

People stop stoking the racial division flame. Every inconsequential act of racism need not appear on HuffingtonPost and CNN. We are interested in the ones that have an impact on Black equality. These people scavanging America and Africa to find some racial problem to post also have racial issues directed against their own people but they do not want to post it day in and day out. Stop stoking the racial division between Blacks and Whites. We know that some of you benefit from that division but you're not fooling anybody in what you're doing!

[Smaiyna]

09:11 PM on 03/24/2012

Just badly worded, because you can find similar animals she mentioned in other continents. The teacher just need some re-education.

[Mansa]

08:52 AM on 03/25/2012

All are native to Africa except elephants. There are Asian elephants.

[Mansa]

03:57 PM on 03/24/2012

The truth--which very few want to acknowledge--is that when a white sees a black person they unconsciously link that person with Africa. It's that simple. African Americans would of course be upset at that unconscious white attitude because African Americans in their vast majority just don't want to be associated with Africa. This makes for psychic stess.

[hidenout3]

05:01 PM on 03/24/2012

"The truth--which very few want to acknowledge--is that when a white sees a black person they unconsciously link that person with Africa....African Americans would of course be upset at the unconscious white attitude...."....

Then why in the world do you call yourself African American?

[loki]

06:50 PM on 03/24/2012

thats a blanket statement.. How do you know very few want to acknowledge or think the way you say?

[Mansa]

06:27 AM on 03/25/2012

LOL. I am African--and that's just fine with me--writing directly from Africa. Africans surf the internet a lot you know.

Back to the issue: it would have been better of the students were asked to research and African country and try to come to school wearing the clothes common there.

[salesdude]

11:23 AM on 03/26/2012

Mansa you have an interesting perspective on what it is to be black in America...

"The truth--which very few want to acknowledge--is that when a white sees a black person they unconsciously link that person with Africa."

On the contrary, I'd say that white Americans rarely think it that far through when it comes to our heritage, just like we don't think Europe when we see them. What you claim may be true in Europe where the black population is much less than here in the US and Latin America, but I don't believe here [in the US] their first inclination when they see us is to link us to Africa. What they think when they see us mainly depends on where they live and what their life experiences are.

"...African Americans in their vast majority just don't want to be associated with Africa."

We choose to call ourselves African-Americans because we DO want to be associated with Africa, otherwise we would have continued to just call ourselves black. Perhaps the sampling of your friends and acquaintances is skewed generationally or demographically towards those who would be less inclined to feel a connection with Africa.

[Mansa]

01:05 PM on 03/27/2012

I still hold that there in the mind of whites there is that unconscious connection with Africa when it comes to black Americans. The rabid comments of white nationalists and racists at the moment of some crisis always exposes what whites feel in their "ids" but control by appeal to their "egos". Just read those posters and placards when the whites are riled up. In many cases there are placards like "ship em back", etc. And recall the vitriolic language used during the Katrina crisis--much of it with Africa as subtext.

[kymber23]

12:28 PM on 03/24/2012

Ebony and Essence magazine are partly to blame for this stereotype. I've noticed for years that these two publications specifically use this type of stereotypical clothing in their fashion spreads. I understand what they were trying to do but it is ridiculous.