UpdatedTue, Jan 19, 2021 at 11:47 am ET
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Diamond Essence White volunteered to read to Smithtown students during a Family Literacy Night. After parents complained, Superintendent Mark Secaur issued an apology. (Google Maps)
SMITHTOWN, NY — The first Family Literacy Night hosted by the Smithtown Central School District has ended in controversy.
Parents complained that a guest speaker, Long Island theater actress Diamond Essence White, should not have been invited to read to students because of her social media posts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. The complaints led the superintendent to issue an apology.
White volunteered to read an excerpt of the children's book "Not Quite Snow White" at the Jan. 6 virtual literacy event and spoke about her career, including her time on Broadway. She was asked to prerecord her segment because Smithtown parents objected to school administrators about her political views and there was worry there would be tension if it was live, she told Newsday. She did not talk about politics in her segment, according to parents.