Outrage after father wears BLACKFACE to a fundraiser at North Woodvale Primary School and leaves with the best dressed prize
An elementary school has slammed an on-campus P&C fundraiser after a father wore blackface and a dreadlocked wig before winning the best-dressed award.
The man wore the offensive outfit during a 90s themed bingo night organized by North Woodvale Primary School’s P&C committee in Perth‘s north.
The guest was seen wearing brown face paint, a dreadlocked wig and a green, gold and black suit in now-deleted photos from the May 25 event.
Guests were invited as their favorite 90s character, with the man dressing up as a member of the Jamaican bobsled team from the comedy Cool Runnings.
The school’s P&C bingo committee was forced to apologize after the matter was brought to the attention of the North Woodvale principal.
A father who attended a school fundraiser wearing blackface and a dreadlocked wig won the best-dressed award, forcing the school to apologize (the father is pictured in his costume)
The man wore the attacking outfit during a ’90s-themed bingo night organized by the P&C committee at North Woodvale Primary School in Perth’s north (pictured)
In a statement, the committee said it had been “naive” to the complex history of blackface when it announced the father as the best dressed of the evening.
‘North Woodvale Primary School P&C bingo committee would like to recognize and acknowledge our mistake and our own personal naivete in not understanding the complex history of a particular costume, which we awarded the prize for the prize on the night of May 25 at our bingo fundraiser best dressed men’s costume. ‘ it said.
“We sincerely apologize to the wider school and the Woodvale community for the pain this has clearly caused. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive and welcoming committee within our school and will learn from our mistakes.”
Department of Education Director-General Lisa Rodgers said Western Australian the incident was ‘disappointing and unacceptable’.
Guests were invited as their favorite ’90s character, with the man dressing up as a member of the Jamaican bobsled team from Cool Runnings (pictured)
She felt that the bingo night was held off-site, with no staff present, and that the night did not reflect the culture and values of the school.
“As soon as this matter was brought to the attention of the school principal, he immediately contacted the president of the P&C association to raise his concerns and express his disappointment,” Ms Rodgers said.
Blackface routines were common for much of the 20th century, but a white person entering the stage with dark skin, especially for comedic purposes, is now considered offensive in most contexts.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted North Woodvale Primary School for comment.
