On Rosa Parks, Blackface, Vaccinations, and Using Hate to Act Like You're Bein' Hated On

So let's take a minute and circle back around to Newberg, Oregon.

For those who haven't been following, I posted something about the Newberg School District deciding to ban Black Lives Matter and Pride flags and posters from school grounds a few weeks ago. This banning, of course, led to a backlash from the community, a backlash that the Newberg School Board could give two craps about as they have recently doubled down on their stance. Oh, this is also paired with racist sentiments that have permeated Newberg for years because it's in Oregon - a state founded as a white utopia - so of course, it's a racist city. Recent developments in Newberg include a student being caught participating in a "slave trade" Snapchat group where white kids "buy and sell" their Black classmates and a county commissioner saying that vaccine mandates were akin to Jim Crow (yes, you read that right).

Fun times.

Well, this past Friday, a Newberg elementary school employee showed up in Blackface, saying they were Rosa Parks and taking a stand against vaccine mandates. Yes, again, you read that right. Blackface. Rosa Parks.

Every now and then some white person comes up with a new one that I haven't heard before. Using Blackface and claiming to be Rosa Parks? That's new. Shout out to Newberg, Oregon, for getting this week's Eternal Side-Eye award! It's only Monday but y'all nailed it!

Courtesy of the Newberg Graphic:

"A staff member at Mabel Rush Elementary School in Newberg showed up to work in Blackface on Friday, calling herself Rosa Parks and doing so in protest of a vaccine mandate for all school district staff.

A fellow staff member at the school who provided initial information on the incident said Lauren Pefferle “a special education assistant who the school district said it would not name due to it being a personnel matter“ darkened her face with iodine.

The concerned staff member, who requested anonymity for this story, said Pefferle explained her reasoning: that she intended to look like Rosa Parks and have her actions serve as a protest of a vaccine mandate. Pefferle was soon removed from school grounds and placed on administrative leave, according to a district statement."

You can read more about this hot mess here.