KKK photo hung in classroom leads to backlash

Oct. 19—CHEYENNE — Laramie County School District 1 parent Tara Tomlin is searching for meaningful solutions following the discovery of a Ku Klux Klan photo hanging in a classroom.

An English teacher at Central High School displayed a picture of three individuals dressed in KKK robes, driving a carriage with a parade float behind them. Tomlin identified the teacher as Shannon Black in an email to community organization members, and said the teacher "reportedly told her students 'this is my grandmother on a Sunday afternoon after church.'" The email was provided by a fellow organization member.

The Central High parent informed administrators as soon as she was made aware of the photo Friday by her son, and had a meeting with Principal Karen Dellbridge and the teacher. Tomlin further described the encounter with Black in an email, and said she was told it was displayed because Black shared a family connection to the photo.

Tomlin said in the email the teacher claimed it was the grandmother who took the photo, because she thought it was a parade and was not aware it was the KKK. Black allegedly denied it was a picture of her grandmother, saying she never told students she was in the photo. She claimed it was for education purposes.

Administrators said it has not been used for teaching this school year.

The Central High parent told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle she was disturbed by what Black said in defense of displaying the photo.

"It's my understanding the photo was hanging by her desk, along with other personal family photos," Tomlin said. "Everyone is allowed to have their own belief system and their own morals, but there needs to be a line drawn about what's allowed to be brought into schools. And this type of ignorance, the harmfulness of this photo — the ignorance is just unacceptable."

District response

LCSD1 administrators removed the photo immediately from the classroom, and a follow-up appointment was scheduled Monday between Superintendent Margaret Crespo and Tomlin.

An internal and external investigation has begun, and Central High parents were informed about the incident. Black did not return a message left with school staff seeking comment on Wednesday.

"Friday, we were made aware of a situation that offended students," Dellbridge said this week through the Remind communications platform. "The situation is actively being investigated. Central Tribe family and individuals, know, you have a voice. We continue to work for our students to feel a sense of belonging, and anything less is unacceptable."

An additional message confirmed "a student reported an offensive picture in a classroom that had previously been used to teach the historical context of a piece of literature. The picture depicted a KKK parade from the early 1900s."

Officials said it will not be used going forward.

The district's advocacy team was deployed. It is designed to partner with parents and students to support them throughout the process.

Crespo told the WTE she could not identify the teacher, or confirm whether disciplinary action was taken. She said the picture is offensive, the investigation will continue, and anything less than an urgent response is unacceptable.

Tomlin said she felt as though Principal Delbridge and Superintendent Crespo acted swiftly and appropriately, but she believes teachers and staff need to be educated, and policies should be reviewed.

"This is a perfect example of why we need to teach clearly and accurately this country's history of slavery and genocide," she told the WTE. "Perhaps, if these educators fully appreciated our history, then they would understand the harmful impact that images such as these cause."

Tomlin was joined by Sankhofa African Heritage Awareness Founder James Peebles and the Rev. Stephen Latham in the meeting, who are concerned with the growing number of racist incidents. Peebles told the WTE it was disrespectful for content such as the photo to be posted in the classroom for kids to look at daily, and he was disappointed with officials' attitude.

"None of them seemed like it was a bad thing, or they had done wrong, or were penitent about the situation, regardless of how the children felt," Peebles said.

Community action

Crespo told the WTE there are multiple ways the district is trying to prevent incidents such as these, and promote inclusion.

LCSD1 uses the restorative practice model, which is "an education process that takes time, with the goal of bringing everyone together for a discussion to engage in understanding, recognition and the respect of one another." It is a part of the work discussed in the spring to encourage kindness in schools and the community.

The official said she is committed to addressing these issues. She mentioned diversity training, and a new campaign focusing on kindness and understanding between students, parents, teachers and community members. The superintendent has met with local faith organizations, and implemented the Sources of Strength program. Crespo said officials will continue to do that work, and help facilitate such conversations.

She said she can't do it alone. Crespo said she recognizes racism has been around for a long time, and it needs to be eradicated through community-wide education and conversations. She wants to make sure every student feels like they belong.

"That's one of the reasons that we asked for our community partners to come together for Sources of Strength. We saw that we were all having a common conversation, and I would tell you that we would love to have more," she said. "We did not have the outpouring of community that we would like."

Patterns

Stakeholders want concrete plans to address years of incidents.

Three years ago, flyers reading "it's great to be straight it's not OK to be gay," "black lives only matter because if it weren't for them who would pick our cotton," and "Join the KKK," with "the confederate kid club" in parentheses beneath it, were taped to walls and passed out by students at McCormick Junior High School.

LCSD1 was led by Superintendent Boyd Brown at the time, and Tomlin said an anti-racism group that she is a member of met with the school board to outline solutions for the overarching issue. She said it was never followed up on.

"I asked Dr. Crespo if this teacher was a part of that education, and she said she didn't know," Tomlin said. "I don't think that's acceptable."

There have been recent concerns from 90th Missile Wing Commander Col. Catherine Barrington at F.E. Warren Air Force Base and other military leaders. Barrington worked with Mayor Patrick Collins and the district to bring attention to the bullying and racism airmen's children experienced in LCSD1 schools, which led to a fight and a ninth-grade student deciding to attend Cheyenne Virtual School after being called the N-word on her first day of school.

Collins has written in his weekly update that families were leaving because of the treatment of their children at LCSD1.

"I received a call from the Air Force Global Strike Commander. It was one of the hardest conversations I have had since becoming mayor," he wrote. "He informed me that a fourth family has unfortunately moved from Cheyenne to another base because their children have been routinely racially harassed at school. It breaks my heart that children are being treated this way."

Peebles helped moderate discussions with district officials and the airmen. He said in the 12 years he has been active in the community, the last three or four years have seen such occurrences get out of hand. He said when one issue is solved, a new dilemma pops up.

He hopes the community can work toward decreasing the interruptions for students, and learn to communicate better.

Tomlin said these experiences hurt students, and not only racial minorities. She hopes the district will consider mandatory training, as well as disciplinary actions for "hate advertisements," because there will be no change otherwise.

"Wyoming is a very racist state, whether people want to admit it or not," she said. "This is not just Cheyenne Central High."

Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25.