White Millburn Student Dressed As MLK, Wore Black Makeup On Face

MILLBURN, NJ — Was it OK for a white student to show up for a school project dressed as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with black makeup on her face?

When a student at a Millburn elementary school decided to show up in her controversial costume with black makeup on her face for the annual “Wax Museum” project, which aims to honor important historical figures, there was no mean-spirited intent on her part, school officials emphasized.

But in the end, the representation was “insensitive and offensive,” administrators said.

After photos of the event began to circulate on the internet, School Superintendent Christine Burton issued a series of letters to parents and guardians in the district about the incident.

Keep updated at the Patch Millburn-Short Hills Facebook page.

On June 9, Burton issued the following statement:

“In Millburn, we are proud to celebrate the diversity of all of our students and families throughout the school year. One program that embodies this philosophy is the Wax Museum presented in our elementary schools [where] students take pride in honoring their subject by learning about them, and presenting their findings in an authentic way. This week, the way in which one of these historical figures was represented has drawn some concern. While no offense was intended, we recognize that some may have taken it that way. Please be assured that across the district we will ensure that guidelines for programs such as these are culturally respectful. This is a teachable moment. We appreciate your sensitivity and attention to this matter.”

Burton followed that message up with another on June 16:

“I would add that the situation should never have happened and we have taken measures to ensure that it doesn’t in the future. We send our apologies for the occurrence and assurance that there was no malice intended on the part of the student, staff or the district.”

Burton issued another statement on June 19:

“As has been reported, a student who was honoring Dr. Martin Luther King during a recent wax museum program wore makeup as part of her presentation. Unfortunately it was not recognized that the student’s representation of Dr. King was insensitive and offensive. We regret that this situation ever happened, and have taken measures to ensure that it won’t happen again. We have plans for staff professional development next year to include training on cultural, race and gender sensitivity. We will also be looking at ways to involve parents, students and staff in supporting the district in these efforts.”

Several parents expressed concern about the incident to the Village Green, including Pinky Adda, mother of three, who said that "blackface isn’t something you can ignore and claim ignorance."

Read the full report with additional parent statements here.

RACE IN ESSEX COUNTY

Millburn isn’t the only Essex County school district to make recent news headlines when it comes to race relations. Millburn’s neighbors to the east, South Orange and Maplewood, have seen several controversial race-based incidents take place in their unified school district, including a “slave auction” project and multiple instances of racist graffiti.

• See related article: N.J. School's 'Slave Auction' Project Inspires Parent Outrage

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