Resign, NAACP tells Arkansas school panel member who wore 'blackface'

The state conference of the NAACP is calling on a school board member in southwest Arkansas to step down after photos showing him in apparent "blackface" were posted online.

In the photos, which have been shared widely on social media, Ted Bonner, a board member in the Blevins School District, is seen with black paint that covers his face, wearing overalls and a straw hat while holding a sign that reads: "Blak [sic] Lives Matters."

NAACP conference President Rizelle Aaron in a statement Wednesday called the photos an "offensive and hateful" act that showed a "lack of social consciousness."

Aaron noted the district's "racially and culturally diverse" student population, calling Bonner's act "egregious."

"Elected officials have an obligation to be a role model for our future leaders and [Bonner] has conducted himself in a manner that is unbecoming of an elected official and has brought embarrassment and negative national attention to the Blevins School District and the great state of Arkansas," Aaron wrote.

Aaron said he has talked to the district's attorneys and School Board President Justice West regarding Bonner's position on the board and any possible legal action.

Attempts to reach Bonner for comment were not successful Wednesday.

West in a statement Tuesday called the photos "very upsetting and distasteful," adding that "the school board nor the school administration holds the power under the law to discipline or remove a school board member."

"The issue was addressed at Monday night's board meeting along with a sincere apology from the individual board member for the thoughtless act," West added.

Aaron told Arkansas Online on Wednesday that if Bonner doesn't resign within "the next couple of days," he and others will take another course of action such as holding a rally at the district's administrative offices.

Blevins School District Superintendent Billy Lee said in a statement Monday that the "district is deeply committed to creating and maintaining a strong and healthy school culture free of bullying and any form of discrimination."

At that time, Lee said he had no personal knowledge of the photos, stressing that a "swift investigation and response" would come if he became aware of a board member's values being inconsistent with the district's.

Blevins, a small town of about 310 residents in Hempstead County, is about 16 miles north of Hope.

Nearly 30 percent of the population in that county is black while about 60 percent is white, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.

Metro on 11/17/2016

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