- Kids at a
Massachusetts daycare were told to wearblackface to celebrateBlack History Month . - The daycare posted photos to Facebook of the kids holding up black-painted paper plates in front of their faces.
A Massachusetts daycare is facing criticism after it had young kids participate in blackface as a way to celebrate Black History Month.
Earlier this week, kids attending the IC Kids Montessori daycare were told to hold up black-painted paper plates in front of their faces, MassLive.com reported on Friday. The daycare also posted photos of the kids to social media, along with pictures of them planking in an attempt to imitate slave transportation, the outlet said.
The school's activity quickly drew backlash from parents and other concerned community members.
One parent told MassLive.com she pulled her kids out of the daycare after her children explained the activity to her.
"I'm really upset," Pierce said. She had already been thinking about pulling them out of the daycare, but "this was icing on the cake" for the move, she told MassLive.com.
Pierce's cousin, Shateah Barnes, also criticized the activity.
"This is how they decided to celebrate Black history month by having the students make Black Face," Barnes wrote on Facebook.
Blackface dates back to the 1800s when white American performers would darken their skin to portray caricatures of Black people. It gained popularity during the 19th century with minstrel shows but would later become offensive for its unflattering and dehumanizing portrayal of Black people.
IC Kids did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but apologized on social media.
"To all who are offended, we sincerely apologize for what happened with one of our classroom activities: black face," the daycare wrote in a Friday statement posted to Facebook. "Our intention was to celebrate Black History Month. Unfortunately we didn't do enough research on black history and carried out a wrong activity. We are sorry about it and we mean it!"