Over the weekend, a racist posterboard with pictures of LeBron James and monkeys was shown at a school art exhibition. As of right now, authorities are looking into how the awful artwork got there. A student in the New Hartford Central School District in New York completed the artwork, which was a spoof of the "Monkey Premium" cereal campaign. It was displayed in the school gymnasium at the New Hartford Festival of the Arts event on Saturday.
The headline read, "Eat Monkeys, Jump Like Monkeys!" and an image of LeBron in his Lakers outfit mid-flight was placed next to a bowl of cereal. The blatantly racist artwork was somehow allowed entry into the competition. It probably got through numerous officials before it was finally displayed. There was a guarantee written in part on the board that anybody who ate the food shaped like bananas and monkeys would "jump 2-5 inches higher for about 2 hours" after that.
Racist LeBron James Artwork Causes Outrage
Given its blatant allusions to racial stereotypes, The LeBron James poster was understandably received with a great deal of outrage. On Monday, Superintendent of Schools Cosimo Tangorra Jr. informed local parents that an investigation is now underway. Tangorra Jr. said of the incident, "It is disheartening that racist work was not only created but then overlooked and allowed to be displayed." Tangorra Jr. stated that authorities had identified and gotten in touch with the artist of the piece. However, information on the student could not be disclosed due to privacy concerns. Tangorra Jr. stated that more details on a potential penalty could not be disclosed.
Tangorra Jr. said in his statement, "We understand that there are students, families, staff and community members who may not feel safe, accepted or welcome as a result of what transpired." He continued, "Our school community deserves access to a supportive learning environment where everyone feels respected, included, and safe." The superintendent went on to stress that they would make sure all families in the district felt valued. Overall, it is ridiculous the art was made and that it passed through numerous teachers and officials.
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