Lillian White, Texas Teacher Fired for Wearing ‘Black Lives Matter’ Mask
Lillian White, art teacher at Great Hearts Western Hills, was fired after wearing a homemade 'Blake Lives Matter' protective facial mask. She wore it every day for nearly two weeks without anyone from the school saying a thing about it. Suddenly, everything changed.
White has worked in education for more than 10 years and was loving her job at the public charter school in San Antonio. In support of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, White returned to school with a mask that read, "Black Lives Matter" and "Silence is Violence". The children were not present on the summer campus, yet.
Everything was fine for nearly two weeks. Some of the other teachers even asked White if she could make them a mask like hers. But after nearly two weeks of wearing the mask, White was approached by school officials asking her to stop wearing the 'Black Lives Matter' mask because parents would now start to be coming around more.
White shared the message with CNN that she received from Heather Molder, the school's assistant headmaster.
Hey, can you start bringing a different mask on campus? We don't discuss the current politcal climate on campus. Parents will start coming around more now.
Great Hearts Texas Superintendent Daniel Scoggin told CNN, White is restricted from wearing such a mask.
School policy forbid faculty from displaying messages on their face masks.
White refused to take off the mask. She felt like she had to make a statment for her students who experienced racial injustice every day of their lives. White told CNN that by staying silent Great Hearts is, "only supporting racist parents".
After almost a month of continuing to wear the mask, while in talks with school officials over it, just days before the students were to arrive, White was terminated.
Lillian White is not contesting the school's decision but has created a petition demanding her former employer, Great Hearts, implement and anti-racism plan.