Oak Park-River Forest Teacher, Activist Suspended After Sharing Student's Blackface Image

OAK PARK, IL — A beloved Oak Park-River Forest teacher and community activist has been suspended after posting an image of a student in blackface. Anthony Clark had shared the Snapchat image of a student in blackface to the group Suburban Unity Alliance to encourage community discussion about the photo after concerned parents reached out to him. The image showed a white student in blackface with the caption "vote me for BLU (Black Leaders Union) president."

School officials later reportedly requested that the shared image be removed from the group. Suburban Unity Alliance complied.

The mother of the student who posted the image reportedly got into contact with Clark via a third party for help mitigating the situation. The parent and student went to Clark's home to talk about the incident and help the student learn about how to take responsibility for his actions and help empower the people his actions had harmed.

According to Oak Park Wednesday Journal, the student later penned an open letter of apology.

Clark and Suburban Unity Alliance later announced that a public discussion about the incident was to be held at L!ve Café on October 16 to "engage in challenging dialogue listening to young black leaders" and to "identify action steps" to combat future incidents of racism.

Following Clark's suspension, students, parents, and community members took to social media to share anecdotes about Clark's contributions to the school and residents of Oak Park. They shared photos of clark with the caption "I stand with Anthony Clark."

When Patch reached out to OPRF High School for comment via email Wednesday, spokesperson Karin Sullivan wrote, "The district cannot comment on personnel issues" and shared a link to a statement from Superintendent Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams. The statement addressed the blackface incident but did not mention Clark's suspension.

The statement read:

"Last night we notified the Oak Park and River Forest High School community that we were aware of a racially offensive social media post and that we are investigating the issue. We are deeply concerned not only about the harm done by the original post but also about the current level of disruption to the educational environment being created by subsequent social media posts related to the incident. As a district, our priority is the well-being of our students. We have an obligation to provide an education for them in an environment where they feel safe, valued, and heard.

The current level of discourse is negatively affecting the school learning environment as well as posing safety concerns for our students. We are taking measures to reduce the harm while we investigate this incident. We request that our school community respect this process and know that our work is done with the best interest of our students at its core. In the coming weeks we will provide opportunities for our school to discuss the harmful behavior and work together to improve our school climate, as well as create greater understanding of our policies and procedures."

Regarding Clark's suspension, the mother of the 17-year-old student accused of posting the photo told Oak Park Wednesday Journal that Clark "has worked hard to foster communication and understanding, even when it is difficult and uncomfortable."

>>Image provided by Anthony Clark