Monroe Board Of Ed Hopeful Called Out For 2018 Blackface Costume

MONROE, CT — Republican Board of Education candidate Justin Orlando reportedly attended a Halloween party in 2018 dressed up in Blackface, and while the Monroe Democratic Party is calling for him to withdraw from the race, Orlando says he will not stop his campaign.

Democrats recently posted about the matter on Facebook, including a photo of Orlando in costume, and other photos of him supposedly making white supremacy hand gestures.

"The Monroe Democratic Town Committee continues to call on Mr. Orlando to withdraw from the November 2nd election and calls on the Monroe Republican Town Committee to withdraw support from the candidate," officials with the Monroe Democratic Town Meeting wrote on Facebook (see below). "Our children, educators, and administrators deserve better representation on the Board of Education."

An attempt to reach Orlando for comment was not successful. He is one of seven candidates, three Democrats and four Republicans, vying for five seats on the Monroe Board of Education; the election is Tuesday.

Blackface costumes, considered racist for their mockery of African Americans, are taboo by today's standards of tolerance and diversity.

"There’s no honor in blackface. Let’s start there," Dr. Robert Sanders, a professor at the University of New Haven, told NBC Connecticut. "It was originally done as part of a negative depiction of Black people to entertain white people through buffoonery or distortion."

In a post on the Monroe Republican Town Committee's Facebook page (see below), Orlando responded, stressing that he was only dressing up as one of his favorite television characters and had no racial intent. He also said the hand gestures were part of "the circle game" and not a white supremacist sign.

"I know that in 35 years of living in Monroe, the one thing no one who knows me would ever accuse me of, is demonstrating any biases," Orlando wrote. "I was raised to accept people by their merit and character…NEVER by race. Which is why I can take your criticism…I am confident that I have lived my life free of prejudice and have had a positive impact on this community."