100 Guilderland students stage walkout over blackface

Approximately 100 students walked out of their classrooms at Guilderland High School Tuesday to share their personal experiences with racism, according to Guilderland Central School District Superintendent Marie Wiles.

This comes after a group of students painted their faces black at a football game. It was an act seen by some as blackface, a form of theatrical makeup popularized in the 19th century, predominantly used by non-Black performers to portray a stereotype of a Black person.

The principal at Guiderland High sent a letter home to students addressing the incident. He says each game has a theme and last week’s was “blackout.”

Students were asked to wear all black, but some students took it a step further and painted their faces black. In the letter, Principal Michael Piscitelli says the students were questioned about their actions, asked to leave the bleacher area, and were told to go to the bathroom and wash the paint off.

Superintendent Wiles says the district will take several measures to address racism in their schools.