Nick Haidar, a California high school student, has sparked public outrage after using blackface to ask a girl to their prom.
Haidar, a Los Gatos High School student, first asked his date using a Bitmoji he made on Snapchat, but was rejected.
After he was initially denied, Haidar showed up at the unidentified female’s house dressed as the emoji – holding the ‘prom’ sign and putting on blackface.
Haidar, from Los Gatos, California, insisted he did not intend ‘mock the African American community.’
via NBC:
My intentions were to just ask a girl to prom, not to be racist,” the student said Monday.The student said it all started when he asked a girl to the prom with his bitmoji on Snapchat. When that didn’t work, he showed up at her house dressed as the bitmoji, including putting on black face, he said.”To dress up like my bitmoji, I had no racist intentions. I didn’t mock the African-American community at any point,” the student said.
The posts were featured in an editorial article in the school newspaper, including a second post from a different student asking if they “want to be like a ‘n-word’ and hang at prom.” The editorial demanded the school to take action days after prom.
In a letter to parents, the Los Gatos High School principal called the posts “racially offensive and contrary to the values of inclusion and belonging that are integral to the school culture at Los Gatos High School.”
Los Gatos High School sent the student to see a counselor, however, it was not clear whether he would face further discipline. Haidar said of the incident:
“I just want to say I’m sorry if I offended anyone. That wasn’t my intention,” he said. “I’m not a racist kid, and I just want to say this is a big misunderstanding.”
Furthermore, the school said they will conduct equity training for students and staff starting in the fall.
