Student in racist Instagram post says friend asked him to pose for Black History Month

By Michelle Bandur

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    DIXON, California (KCRA) — The superintendent of Dixon Unified School District stood before television cameras and parents Friday and said, “Don’t let us off the hook.”

Brian Dolan addressed the racist Instagram post he said a seventh-grade John Knight Middle School student made earlier this week. He listened to parents who said this is not an isolated incident.

“Maybe now something will be done,” said Felicia Spiller, who listened to Dolan.

She wants to see the post because she believes her 11-year-old son may be in it.

Dolan said the post featured 23 Black and biracial middle school students from every grade, along with their Black principal. The post said, “Happy black history month to all of the monkeys.”

“I was pretty mad and upset,” said sixth-grader Cyrus Daniels, Spiller’s son.

Another mother, Tiana said she received a phone call from a school administrator making her aware of the post that showed a picture of her 12-year-old son.

“I’m so sorry to have to call and tell you this but there’s a picture posted of your son,” Tiana said. “I said, ‘What kind of picture? What is this?'”

Makai said he agreed to pose for the picture taken by his white friend, another seventh-grader, at school during lunch.

“He says, ‘Smile for Black History Month,'” he said.

Makai feels betrayed by his friend who used his picture in a hateful message.

“Sad and kinda mad,” Makai said.

His mother said enough is enough. She said Makai and her other children have been bullied since they arrived in Dixon about a year and a half ago.

“It’s disgusting, hurtful, sad that this is what my kids are dealing with,” Tiana said.

Parents say the district can’t ignore this extreme example of racism any longer.

“It’s a matter of when are you going to fix the problem, you know there’s a problem, when are you going to fix it?” Spiller said.

Tiana wonders if things will get better.

As of Friday, the district has not disciplined the boy who made the post. He has not been in school. Administrators are still trying to identify the other students they believe are involved with posting the message.

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