A school art exhibition over the weekend displayed a racist posterboard that featured images of LeBron James alongside monkeys. Officials are currently investigating how this offensive piece made it to the exhibition.
A student from the New Hartford Central School District in New York created a project called “Monkey Premium,” a clever parody of a cereal advertisement. The project was proudly displayed at the New Hartford Festival of the Arts event in the school gymnasium on Saturday.
The headline read “Eat Monkeys, Jump Like Monkeys!” and was accompanied by a photo of James soaring through the air in his Lakers uniform while a bowl of cereal sat nearby.
According to the text displayed on the board, individuals who consumed the monkey and banana-shaped food were promised an increase in their vertical jump by 2-5 inches for approximately 2 hours.
The recent incident has sparked a wave of outrage due to its blatant references to racist stereotypes. In response, Superintendent of Schools, Cosimo Tangorra Jr., has issued a statement assuring parents and the community that the matter is being thoroughly investigated.
Tangorra Jr. expressed his disappointment that not only was racist work produced, but it was also disregarded and permitted to be exhibited.
According to Tangorra Jr., the authorities have identified and reached out to the individual responsible for creating the work. Due to privacy concerns, specific information about the student cannot be disclosed to the public. Tangorra Jr. also mentioned that details regarding any potential consequences for the student cannot be shared at this time.
