Arizona school tells mural artist to "lighten" Black and Latino students' faces

[Alan]

Just when you thought Arizona couldn't possibly get any worse, via the Arizona Republic:

A group of artists has been asked to lighten the faces of children depicted in a giant public mural at a Prescott school.

The project's leader says he was ordered to lighten the skin tone after complaints about the children's ethnicity. But the school's principal says the request was only to fix shading and had nothing to do with political pressure.

The "Go on Green" mural, which covers two walls outside Miller Valley Elementary School, was designed to advertise a campaign for environmentally friendly transportation. It features portraits of four children, with a Hispanic boy as the dominant figure.

Principal Jeff Lane claims the change has nothing to do with race, saying "We asked them to fix the shading on the children's faces . . .We were looking at it from an artistic view." This is despite the fact that just last month, City Councilman Steve Blair publicly called for the mural to be removed, saying the most prominent figure in the painting is Black (although the student is actually Latino), reason being to create "racial controversy":

"To depict the biggest picture on the building as a Black person, I would have to ask the question: Why? [...] Personally, I think it's pathetic. You have changed the ambience of that building to excite some kind of diversity power struggle that doesn't exist in Prescott, Arizona. And I'm ashamed of that."

The only thing I see shameful and pathetic here is accusing a school's mural featuring actual students that go there of "race-baiting." And between Arizona's recent horror of an immigration law, the erasure of ethnic studies in AZ schools last month, and the slew of racial slurs the artists and students endured while making the mural, to be the asshat who denies racism exists here just makes his racism all the more obvious.

http://www.feministing.com/archives/021433.html

[Saya]

I love that you linked to feministing, but they were late to the story and since updated, the principal apologized and will be leaving the mural as is:

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_ne...a_school_mural

[Alan]

Yeah, I know he apologized, but it is still a scary read, and hell, it's not even about the principal.
The link you posted reveals more of the story. There were people who were honest to god angry at the mural! Arizona is Texas's ugly friend that makes Texas look better.

[Ben Lahnger]

Originally Posted by Alan

Arizona is Texas's ugly friend that makes Texas look better.

Yep ... and Mississippi.

[Saya]

Yeah it was scary to read, in the article I first read about this said the artists were harassed as they were painting. Apparently Prescott isn't even all that conservative so it was really surprising, a lot of people showed up to protest the principal though.

Also that Blair guy got fired from the radio:
http://wonkette.com/415815/arizona-c...mural-campaign

[Beneath the Shadows]

So people from the school protested a mural depicting people from the school...

Yeah, that's not a popularity contest or anything.

[d0p3y]

>.> this one is really stupid.