http://www.wftv.com/news/9148380/detail.html

Controversy Surrounds Photo Of Student In H.S. Yearbook

POSTED: 4:10 pm EDT May 2, 2006
UPDATED: 4:19 pm EDT May 2, 2006

APOPKA, Fla. -- A small picture on the page of a yearbook is creating big controversy. The picture is in the Apopka High School yearbook. It shows a student in costume as a part of spirit week at the school, but one father says the black body paint and the afro went too far.

The yearbooks were distributed around campus just Monday. Most of the students did not seem to notice the picture, but a parent certainly did.

The shot on page 36 isn't big, but it has generated a significant reaction. In a section marked "Island Day," there is a student pictured during spirit week covered in body paint and wearing a wig.

The father of a student spotted it Monday night. He doesn't want his name used to spare his daughter any embarrassment.

"She was kind of astonished. She said, 'Look, Daddy, I see someone that has black face on.' When I looked at it, I was astonished to see it myself," the parent said.

The father compared it to the Al Jolson videos from '20s, where the white actor painted his face black and sang "Mammy." He couldn't believe the shot made it into a yearbook in 2006.

"It's offensive to me because it reminds me of racial tensions that are still prevalent in America. For a white child to put on black face and an afro wig is representative of how racism keeps going through the system," he said.

The school’s principal said a black student yearbook editor approved the photo and a faculty sponsor thought the teen was really black. The principal also said the teen isn't portraying a black person, but a Pacific islander.

"Okay, then it's just offensive to someone else of color," the parent said.

Eyewitness News showed the picture to ten students who had not noticed it yet. None of them found it offensive.

"I think he is just trying to make a joke out of himself. They joke around a lot here," one student said.

"I'm not that offended by it. Maybe he is just trying to be funny," another commented.

"There is a lot more important stuff going on in this school than that," one student said.

The father said he doesn't blame the student who painted his body. He blames the faculty for not catching the photo and allowing it to be distributed.