Minority Children Scarce At Trump’s Easter Egg Roll: Critics

WASHINGTON, DC — Photos of mostly white children at President Trump's first White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday raised suspicions that the White House hadn't extended an invitation to the more diverse students at Arlington and D.C. schools, as had been done in the past. Representatives of both school systems confirmed to Patch recently that those suspicions were accurate.

Frank Bellavia, a spokesman for Arlington County Public Schools, said that President Obama had typically provided anywhere from 200 to 400 tickets to Arlington students. However, ACPS did not receive any contact from the Trump administration this year, he said.

Bellavia couldn't recall if the Bush administration had extended the courtesy to Arlington County students.

Michelle Lerner, spokeswoman for District of Columbia Public Schools, said her district, with a large percentage of black students, had not been contacted, either.

"To my knowledge, we were not invited," she said.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was quoted in numerous outlets as saying that the tickets were distributed to "schools, children’s hospitals and military and law enforcement families."

Democratic grassroots organization Occupy Democrats said the lack of invitations to local schools was further indication of the administration's lack of inclusion.

"It’s no surprise that the Trump White House decided to exclude the local black children from the Easter Egg Roll – but that makes it all the more important that we shame them for it," it wrote.

Organizers said the event was scaled down from the Obama administration because First Lady Melania Trump worried it had become too large, according to a Washington Post report.

Last year's Easter Egg Roll drew 35,000 people. This year, only 21,000 people attended, the Post reported.

A lack of communication from the White House led to rumors earlier this year that Trump would kill the annual tradition. With only weeks until the 139th annual Easter Egg Roll, the White House had not issued any information on the event. However, the White House eventually issued tickets in mid-March and unveiled plans for a scaled-down version of the event, which had included celebrities and a big bash under the Obamas.

Patch has reached out to the White House for comment. We will update this post if and when they respond.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News