11 February 2023 , 20:47
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A nursery has found itself in hot water after a teacher painted the children's faces black to celebrate Black History Month.
Parents were outraged with Studio Kids Little River in Maimi, Florida after seeing images of their children with their faces painted on Friday.
They received a message with the image along with the caption 'Happy Black History Month', which is celebrated in the month of February in the US.
One mum said they don't understand how anyone could not realise it was offensive.
Another said the kids had been "violated" after the racist stunt.
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The director of the nursery is understood to have apologised to the parents.
This image was sent to the parents from Studio Kids Little River (WSVN)One parent told WSVN: "And I’m like, ‘Oh my God'. All the children in the class painted with blackface.”
Another parent Courtney Politis was also furious.
She didn't send her kids to school that day but still received the pictures from another parent, leaving her in disbelief.
She said: “And of course the anger and disbelief and the heartbreak that comes from all of this, and I immediately texted the owner.
“I’m like, ‘This is racist,’ and her first response was, ‘I’m sorry question mark.'”
This image of a child was sent to parents showing them in blackface (WSVN)The images show the children with their faces blurred but the paint can still be seen. One child appears dressed up as a police officer and another as a construction worker.
Ms Politis has since pulled her kids from the nursery.
She said: "The kids have been violated, and they don’t even know it.
“I mean, we’ve done more for society than just being Black.
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“Like, it’s blatant and pure ignorance, or you just did it on purpose and you’re playing stupid, in my opinion.”
The daycare has since apologised to parents (Google Maps)The director has since sent a message to parents saying: "We have not intended to offend anyone, and we are very sorry about any inconvenience.”
They added: "Rest assured, this will never happen again.”
The South Dade NAACP wrote on their Facebook that using blackface at any time is "insensitive and offensive".
They wrote@ "NAACP Miami-Dade Branch and South Dade Branch Calls Out Pre-School Teacher at Studio Kids Little River For Using blackface to Teach a Lesson About Black History.
"The use of blackface at ANY time is insensitive and offensive. We stand ready to provide resources on authentic #BlackHistoryMonth lessons."
The Mirror contacted Studio Kids Little River for comment.