White Oklahoma Teacher Calls 13-Year-Oldâs âBlack Kingâ Shirt Racist, Embarrasses Him In Class
âI am proud of my blackness and she will never take it away from me,â student Latrell Taft said.
February 26, 2021 at 12:01 am
The mother of a 13-year-old student in Oklahoma was outraged after her son said he was berated by a white teacher in class for wearing a “Black King” shirt he was gifted for his birthday.
“I am proud of my blackness and she will never take it away from me,” Heartland Middle School student Latrell Taft said.
He shared with local news station KFOR that he felt ambushed and embarrassed when his science teacher accused his shirt of promoting racist ideology.
By: Brieon Sumlin
EDMOND, Okla. -
An Edmond middle school teacher has been placed on paid administrative leave following an incident with a Black student, according to the communications director with Edmond Public Schools.
Latrell Taft, a student at Heartland Middle School, wore a shirt that said ‘Black King’ to school on Tuesday.
According to Taft, his teacher allegedly called him racist and said if she had a shirt that said, ‘white queen’ it would have been racist. Taft also stated the teacher told him there should be a white history month.
Taft’s Mother, Melisa Shirley, spoke to the school about the incident and said she didn’t receive the response she would have liked until after a social media post she made on Facebook started to circulate.
An Oklahoma teacher who allegedly told a 13-year-old boy that his “Black King” shirt was racist in the middle of a seventh-grade class has been placed on administrative leave, pending a decision on disciplinary action.
“Edmond Public Schools is aware of an incident in a classroom at Heartland Middle School involving a district employee and a seventh-grade student who wore a t-shirt featuring an outline of Africa and the words ‘Black King’ written on the front,” the district said in a statement.
“If it is determined that the student was the target of discrimination, bullying, or racism, appropriate and swift action will be taken as required by District policy.”
Edmond student, mother claim teacher discriminated against him for wearing Black King shirt Share Updated: 7:25 AM CST Feb 25, 2021 Share Updated: 7:25 AM CST Feb 25, 2021
Hide Transcript
Show Transcript THE RANT. ERIN BEU SAT DOWN TO GET THEIR STORY. ERIN: AN EDMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLTEACHER CALLED A STUDENT A RACI FOLLOWED BY REMASHS THAT THERE SHOULD BE A WHITE HISTORY MONTH. I FELT LIKE EMBARRASSED AND LEFT OUT. LETRELL TAFT FEELS THAT WAY BECAUSE THE OTHER TEACHERS AND THE OTHER STUDENTS STARTING CALLING ME RACIST. HIS SEVENTH GRADE TEACH CALLED HIM A RACIST. HE SAYS IT WAS A BIRTHDAY GIFT. SHE SAID WE NEED A WHITE HISTORY MONTH. AND I SAID I DON T HAVE ENOUGH RECOGNITION. IT REALLY HURT ME. THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THAT MY SITUATION. LETRELLE S MOTHER THIS HAS BEEN THE WORST FEAR FOR HER SON HAVING TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS. WE REACHED OUT TO HEARTLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THIS WAS THERE RESPONSE. I WAN HER TO GET FIRED BE A TEAC
Teacher Suggests White History Month, Calls Student Racist for Black King Shirt
Feb 26, 2021 1:56 PM
5,167 views
Staff Writer
An Oklahoma teacher was placed on leave after allegedly calling a Black student s Black King t-shirt racist and telling students we need a White History Month.
Heartland Middle School student Latrell Taft was confronted with an uncomfortable conversation with his science teacher after she paused her lesson to call out his shirt, which he received as a birthday present. After Taft told her what the shirt read, she accused him of being racist, which was a remark most of the class agreed with.